Table_1_Encapsulation of Trichoderma harzianum Preserves Enzymatic Activity and Enhances the Potential for Biological Control.docx

Trichoderma harzianum is a biological control agent used against phytopathogens and biostimulation in agriculture. However, its efficacy can be affected by biotic and abiotic factors, and microencapsulation has been used to maximize the efficacy. The objective was to develop polymeric microparticles to encapsulate T. harzianum, to perform physicochemical characterization to evaluate its stability, to evaluate effects on the soil microbiota, antifungal activity in vitro and enzymatic activity. Size distribution of wet and dry microparticles was 2000 and 800 μm, respectively. Scanning electron microscopy showed spherical morphology and encapsulation of T. harzianum. Photostability assays showed that encapsulation protected the fungus against ultraviolet radiation. The evaluation of the microbiota showed that the proportion of denitrifying bacteria increased when compared to the control. The T. harzianum encapsulation showed an improvement in the chitinolytic and cellulosic activity. In vitro tests showed that encapsulated fungus were able to provide a greater control of S. sclerotiorum.

Trichoderma harzianum作为一种生物防治剂，在农业中用于对抗植物病原体及生物刺激。然而，其功效易受生物和非生物因素的影响，微胶囊化技术已被用于最大化其功效。研究旨在开发聚合物微球以封装T. harzianum，并通过物理化学表征评估其稳定性，对土壤微生物群落的影响，体外抗真菌活性及酶活性进行评价。湿微球和干微球的大小分布分别为2000和800 μm。扫描电子显微镜显示其球形形态及T. harzianum的封装。光稳定性试验表明，封装保护真菌免受紫外辐射。微生物群落评估结果显示，与对照相比，反硝化细菌的比例有所增加。封装的T. harzianum表现出在几丁质分解和纤维素活性方面的提升。体外试验表明，封装的真菌能够提供对S. sclerotiorum更强的控制作用。