Table 3.
Effect of Trichoderma on tomato plant growth.
| Treatment | Control | T34 | amdS6 | amdS122 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| In vitro assay* | Stem length (cm)* | 3.91 ± 0.15a | 4.36 ± 0.14b | 4.86 ± 0.15c | 5.12 ± 0.11c |
| In vivo assay** | Root length (cm) | 19.10 ± 2.20a | 20.70 ± 2.20b | 22.30 ± 3.10c | 23.50 ± 2.80c |
| Stem length (cm) | 9.30 ± 0.90a | 10.20 ± 0.90b | 11.50 ± 0.80c | 12.30 ± 0.70d | |
| Nitrogen (mg/plant) | 9.59 ± 0.47a | 12.54 ± 0.78b | 14.69 ± 1.40c | 16.18 ± 9.9c | |
| Carbon (mg/plant) | 69.44 ± 7.32a | 84.76 ± 5.27b | 98.65 ± 7.05c | 107.19 ± 9.29c |
Tomato stem and root length values, and total amount of nitrogen and carbon in aerial part of plants treated with T. harzianum wild-type (T34) and amdS transformants (amdS6 or amdS122).
For the in vitro assay, 5-day-old germinated tomato seedlings grown on MS medium, supplemented with 1% sucrose and 0.8% agar, pH 5.7, were inoculated with water, T34, amdS6, or amdS122, and stem length values were taken 4 days after Trichoderma inoculation. Values are the means of 15 measurements from three biological replicates.
For the in vivo assay, root and stem length values (cm), and nitrogen and carbon amounts (mg/plant) were measured in 3-week-old tomato plants developed from untreated (control), T34-treated, amdS6-treated, or amdS122-treated seeds. Root and stem length data are the means of 24 measurements and similar results were observed in three independent experiments. Nitrogen and carbon values are the means of 25 measurements. In all assays, values followed by different letters in each line are significantly different (P < 0.05).