Metabolic Evolution of Trichoderma asperellum to Improve Growth Rate and Efficacy of Anthracnose Control

Anthracnose is a destructive fungal disease that causes significant losses in vegetable and fruit production. Trichoderma asperellum wild type (WT) is a well-known beneficial fungus with the ability to suppress anthracnose and promote plant growth; however, its efficacy remains limited. This study aimed to enhance the effectiveness of T. asperellum WT against anthracnose. The experiment was conducted in two stages. In the first stage, sucrose content in the growth medium was increased from 2.0% to 3.0%, and the effects were monitored over 15 days. In the second stage, the inhibitory effects of T. asperellum WT before and after enhancement were evaluated on potato dextrose agar (PDA) containing anthracnose, with pathogen growth measured over 7 days. Increasing the sugar content significantly improved the growth and sugar utilization of T. asperellum WT, increasing biomass from 0.28 to 0.50 g/mL. The enhanced strain, designated T. asperellum TIS-11T, exhibited superior inhibitory activity, completely eliminating anthracnose on PDA plates within five days. One-way ANOVA revealed a significant difference ( p <0.01) in inhibitory activity between T. asperellum TIS-11T, T. asperellum WT, and the control. In conclusion, T. asperellum TIS-11T is a highly effective biocontrol agent against anthracnose and shows strong potential for industrial-scale production of antifungal products.