Production of Biocontrol Agent Trichoderma in Organic Agriculture

Trichoderma strains used as biocontrol agents can act: a) colonizing the soil and/or parts of the plant, occupying a physical space and avoiding the multiplication of the pathogens; b) producing cell wall degrading enzymes against the pathogens; c) producing antibiotics that can kill the pathogens; d) promoting the plant development and e) inducing the defensive mechanisms of the plant. Antifungal formulations based on Trichoderma strains and proteins require, as in the case of chemical fungicides, a costly and sound registration process previous to their commercialization. For this reason, many of these biological products are being offered to the farmers under the category of fertilizers and other commercial products that are not tightly regulated, and, hence, they do not offer sufficient guarantee of quality and sanitary control. This fraud must be prosecuted since most of these wrongly registered formulations have not got a Trichoderma inoculum, shelflife or other properties stated in their label.