Beneficial effects of Trichoderma harzianum T-22 in tomato seedlings infected by Cucumber mosaic virus (CMV)

The study of the biochemical and molecular mechanisms deriving from the host-pathogen-antagonist interaction is essential to understand the dynamics of infectious processes and can be useful for the development of new strategies to control phytopathogens, particularly viruses, against which chemical treatments have no effect. In this work, we demonstrate the ability of the rhizospheric fungus Trichoderma harzianum strain T-22 (T22) to induce defense responses in tomato (Solanum lycopersicum var. cerasiforme) against Cucumber mosaic virus (CMV, family Bromoviridae, genus Cucumovirus) strain Fny. A granule formulation containing T22 was used for treating the plants before, simultaneously or after the CMV inoculation, in order to study the molecular and biochemical aspects of the interaction between T22 and tomato against the virus. Reactive oxygen species (ROS) and the genes encoding for ROS scavenging enzymes were investigated. Histochemical analysis revealed a different increase in the superoxide anion () and hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) content in plants infected by CMV alone or in the presence of T22, confirming the involvement of ROS in plant defense responses. Gene expression analysis suggested a definite improvement in oxidative stress when plants were treated with T22 after inoculation with CMV. In conclusion, our data indicate that Trichoderma harzianum T-22 stimulates the induction of tomato defense responses against CMV, an action that implies the involvement of ROS, pointing towards its use as a treatment rather than as a preventive measure.