Chemical Diversity of Three Endophytic Talaromyces Strains and Their Potential for Biocontrol against the Cocoa Pathogenic Fungus

Biological control using beneficial endophytic fungi is a sustainable alternative to agrochemicals for managing plant diseases. This study assessed three endophytic Talaromyces strains, isolated from different Brazilian host plants, for antagonistic activity toward Moniliophthora perniciosa, the causative agent of cocoa witches' broom disease. All strains inhibited the pathogen's mycelial growth in vitro, with Talaromyces pinophilus J6 exhibiting the strongest effect. Discriminant metabolites of the T. pinophilus J6 were unveiled by liquid chromatography-tandem high-resolution mass spectrometry-based metabolomics combined with principal component analysis and a dereplication approach. These results underscore the promise of endophytic Talaromyces spp. as novel biocontrol agents and will contribute to ongoing research on sustainable agriculture. Moreover, chemical comprehension of endophytic fungi from the same genus that come from different host plants opens new insights into chemical ecology implicated in the endophyte-plant interactions.