Production of volatile organic compounds by Trichoderma in media containing different amino acids and their effect on selected wood decay fungi

The paper describes an experiment to evaluate the effect of subtle changes to the amino acid composition of the growth medium on the production of volatile organic compounds (VOCs) by a Trichoderma aureoviride isolate and the consequent inhibition of wood decay fungi. A synthetic medium was produced to represent the C:N ratio and major amino acid content of Scots pine sapwood. Changes in the amino acid content of the medium produced very significant differences in the VOC output produced by the Trichoderma isolate and in the levels of inhibition of the target wood decay fungi. Principal component analysis of the VOC profiles indicated that aldehyde and ketone components were associated with the greatest inhibition of the target fungi. The implications of the results for the use of Trichoderma isolates as biological control agents of decay fungi in wood are discussed.