AUTHOR=Maruyama Cintia Rodrigues , Bilesky-José Natália , de Lima Renata , Fraceto Leonardo Fernandes 

TITLE=Encapsulation of Trichoderma harzianum Preserves Enzymatic Activity and Enhances the Potential for Biological Control

JOURNAL=Frontiers in Bioengineering and Biotechnology

VOLUME=8

YEAR=2020

URL=https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/bioengineering-and-biotechnology/articles/10.3389/fbioe.2020.00225

DOI=10.3389/fbioe.2020.00225

ISSN=2296-4185

ABSTRACT=<p><italic>Trichoderma harzianum</italic> 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 <italic>T. harzianum</italic>, to perform physicochemical characterization to evaluate its stability, to evaluate effects on the soil microbiota, antifungal activity <italic>in vitro</italic> 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 <italic>T. harzianum</italic>. 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 <italic>T. harzianum</italic> encapsulation showed an improvement in the chitinolytic and cellulosic activity. <italic>In vitro</italic> tests showed that encapsulated fungus were able to provide a greater control of <italic>S. sclerotiorum</italic>.</p>