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ORIGINAL RESEARCH article

Front. Microbiol.
Sec. Terrestrial Microbiology
Volume 16 - 2025 | doi: 10.3389/fmicb.2025.1279142

A Brazilian soil Trichoderma collection reveals a new species, T. cerradensis sp. nov

Provisionally accepted
Gustavo Henrique Silva Peixoto Gustavo Henrique Silva Peixoto 1Rildo Silva Rildo Silva 1Ana Beatriz Zacaroni Ana Beatriz Zacaroni 2*Thais França Silva Thais França Silva 1*Priscila Chaverri Priscila Chaverri 3Danilo Batista Pinho Danilo Batista Pinho 1*Sueli Corrêa Marques Mello Sueli Corrêa Marques Mello 2*
  • 1 University of Brasilia, Brasilia, Distrito Federal, Brazil
  • 2 Brazilian Agricultural Research Corporation (EMBRAPA), Brasília, Distrito Federal, Brazil
  • 3 Bowie State University, Bowie, Maryland, United States

The final, formatted version of the article will be published soon.

    Trichoderma spp. are important biological control agents and plant growth promoters. However, the species used in biological control belong to a limited number of species, even though the genus contains more than 400 species, with most of which mycotrophic. In this work, 97 Trichoderma isolates preserved at the EMBRAPA collection (an important source for biocontrol agents) and previously collected from several areas in Brazil were characterized which were identified using various molecular markers (internal transcribed spacers (its), translation elongation factor (tef1α), RNA polymerase II subunit (rpb2), actin (act), and calmodulin (cal). Fifty-four isolates were found to group in the Harzianum species complex and 32 in Sect. Trichoderma. Others were distributed in the following clades: Strictipilosa complex (one isolate), Longibrachiatum (four isolates), and Brevicompactum (seven isolates). Most of the isolates were identified within 17 known species whereas Trichoderma inhamatum and T. dorothopsis were synonymized under T. lentiforme and T. koningiopsis, respectively based on multi-locus phylogenetic analysis and GCPRS criteria. However, two isolates formed a clade apart from previously identified species from Sect. Trichoderma and identified as a new species: T. cerradensis sp. nov. The multigenic characterization of isolates deposited in fungal culture collections is crucial for accurate identification and reveals a diverse range of Trichoderma species in Brazil.

    Keywords: Hypocreales, Hypocreaceae, Multigenic, new taxon, biological control

    Received: 17 Aug 2023; Accepted: 13 Jan 2025.

    Copyright: © 2025 Peixoto, Silva, Zacaroni, Silva, Chaverri, Pinho and Mello. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.

    * Correspondence:
    Ana Beatriz Zacaroni, Brazilian Agricultural Research Corporation (EMBRAPA), Brasília, 70770-901, Distrito Federal, Brazil
    Thais França Silva, University of Brasilia, Brasilia, 70910-900, Distrito Federal, Brazil
    Danilo Batista Pinho, University of Brasilia, Brasilia, 70910-900, Distrito Federal, Brazil
    Sueli Corrêa Marques Mello, Brazilian Agricultural Research Corporation (EMBRAPA), Brasília, 70770-901, Distrito Federal, Brazil

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