Antagonistic and Mycoparasitic Potential of Trichoderma spp. Against Mycena citricolor, a Major Coffee Pathogen in Southern Ecuador

Trichoderma is a fungus with important applications in agriculture, as a biocontrol agent for pathogenic fungi or other pests that cause various diseases in crops. The pathogenic fungus Mycena citricolor causes "ojo de gallo" or "Rooster Eye" in coffee crops, mainly in areas above 1000 m.a.s.l. Therefore, its management of coffee crops, which is an economically important product for Ecuador, is vital. In this sense, this study sought to evaluate the percentage inhibition of mycelial growth using dual antagonist/pathogen in vitro cultures, to assess the mycoparasitic activity of Trichoderma spp., and to test its crude extract as a biocontroller of Mycena citricolor. The evaluated strains were molecularly characterized with the ITS-5.8S DNArn marker. The results determined four different Trichoderma species: T. asperellum, T. harzianum, T. sp1, and T. sp2. It was determined that three of the four Trichoderma species evaluated were effective, with inhibition values exceeding 40% and significantly different (p < 0.05) between treatments. These Trichoderma species show promise as mycoparasitic biocontrol agents against the pathogen M. citricolor. The crude extract from T. harzianum alone was ineffective in controlling the growth of M. citricolor, suggesting the need for further analysis of solvent-extracted extracts.