Genotypic Characterization and Mutagenesis of Trichoderma Strains to Enhance Cellulolytic Production

Teleb, Ayaat A.; Mahmoud, Esraa A.; Hemeda, Nada F.; Hassan, GamaGl M.

doi:10.21608/fjard.2025.401263.1131

Genotypic Characterization and Mutagenesis of Trichoderma Strains to Enhance Cellulolytic Production

Document Type : Research articles.

Authors

¹ Genetics Department, Faculty of Agriculture, Fayoum University, Fayoum 63514, Egypt

² Genetics Department, Faculty of Agriculture, Fayoum University, Fayoum, Egypt

10.21608/fjard.2025.401263.1131

Abstract

Eight strains of Trichoderma were isolated from the agricultural soil of various crops, such as faba beans and wheat. Every one of the eight Trichoderma strains tested positive for the production of cellulase. All Trichoderma strains had a percentage inhibitory impact that ranged from 52.9% to 67.6% on Rhizoctonia solani growth. The highest carboxymethyl cellulose (CMCase) activity (0.42 IU/ml) was displayed by Trichoderma aureoviride (FUGT18). Based on nucleotide sequences of ITS, molecular phylogenetic analysis was carried out; the isolate FUGT18 is closely related to T. aureoviride with accession number OL953192. After treatment by mutagens using UV light and ethyl methanosulfate (EMS) on carboxymethyl cellulose (1.0%), the wild-type strains exhibited significant cellulase activities (0.42 IU/ml). Cellulase levels of 0.921 and 1 IU/ml were produced by Trichoderma mutants by using UV and EMS, respectively. Every mutant derived from the wild-type Trichoderma (FUGT18) outperformed the wild-type by a large margin when tested against R. solani. Through UV and EMS mutagenesis, as well as ISSR analysis of genomic DNA, the genetic variety between those mutations and the wild-type was revealed using different primers. The primer-derived pattern revealed that each mutant genotype had entirely distinct DNA amplification patterns compared to the strain of the wild-type.

Keywords