Improving the shelf life of encapsulated Trichoderma harzianum as a biocontrol approach against the soil-borne fungus Sclerotinia sclerotiorum under in vitro and greenhouse conditions

Articles in Press

Document Type : Research Paper

Authors

1 Department of Plant Protection, Faculty of plant production, Gorgan University of Agricultural sciences and Natural Resources, Gorgan , Iran

2 PhD graduate in Plant Pathology, Department of Plant Protection, Faculty of plant production, Gorgan University of Agricultural sciences and Natural Resources, Gorgan , Iran

3 Research Department, Danazist Lotus Company

10.22059/ijpps.2026.409909.1007107

Abstract

In recent years, increasing concerns about the environmental and health effects of chemical pesticides have highlited the urgent need for sustainable plant disease management. Therefore, this study aimed to evaluate the effect of a capsule formulation containing Trichoderma harzianum on the suppression of Sclerotinia sclerotiorum in tomato plants. Capsules were prepared using ionic gelation and sodium alginate, and their physical characteristics, loading and release rate of spores, swelling characteristics, stability under temperature and UV exposure, and biodegradability were investigated. The results showed that the encapsulated formulation significantly increased the shelf life and survivability of T. harzianum spores and maintained their biological activity compared to the non-encapsulated form. The survival percentage of non-encapsulated T. harzianum spores sharply decreased after 90 days at temperatures of 25 and 35 °C, whereas encapsulated spores under the same conditions showed only 42% and 46% reductions in viability. In the greenhouse experiment, disease incidence was 4.44% in plants treated with encapsulated T. harzianum and 73.33% in the control. The encapsulated formulation was more effective in reducing disease than the non-encapsulated form. The levels of defense enzymes in plants treated with encapsulated T. harzianum increased by 10.32–14.25% and 31.66–11.27% compared with non-encapsulated T. harzianum and the control, respectively. These findings highlight the effective and sustainable role of encapsulated formulation in improving the performance of biocontrol agents, demonstrating the high potential of this technology to reduce S. sclerotiorum-induced damage and promote plant health in agricultural systems.

Keywords

Iranian Journal of Plant Protection Science

Articles in Press, Accepted Manuscript
Available Online from 23 January 2026

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History

  • Receive Date: 21 January 2026
  • Revise Date:
  • Accept Date: 23 January 2026

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