Abstract Maize productivity is often threatened by Fusarium verticillioides , a pathogen that reduces crop yield through stalk rot, ear rot, and decreased plant vigor, while also producing fumonisins, toxic mycotoxins commonly contaminating maize and associated with carcinogenic and neurotoxic effects in humans and animals. These risks highlight the need for sustainable alternatives to synthetic fungicides, such as the use of antagonistic microbes and their secondary metabolites. This study evaluated the role of Trichoderma asperellum NH112 and Aspergillus terreus NH23 culture filtrates in suppressing F. verticillioides and promoting maize seedling growth in vitro, as well as identifying the key secondary metabolites involved. The culture filtrates of T. asperellum NH112 and A. terreus NH23 significantly inhibited colony growth and conidial reproduction of F. verticillioides , with higher concentrations showed greater effectiveness. The NH112 culture filtrate exhibited more consistent inhibitory activity than NH23 and performed nearly as well as synthetic fungicides, particularly at 100% concentration, reducing colony growth by more than 25% and conidia by 60–80%. Importantly, the culture filtrates did not cause phytotoxicity and maintained seedling vigor comparable to the control. At 100% concentration, the culture filtrates showed the highest seedling growth rate (22.78%–31.11%) and germination (55.33%–80%), whereas synthetic fungicides drastically reduced both parameters. GC–MS analysis showed that the non-polar fractions of both culture filtrates were dominated by fatty acids and their derivatives, which may act synergistically to enhance antifungal activity and plant defense responses. However, further bioassays are needed to confirm their specific functional roles.
Ilmi et al. (Thu,) studied this question.