Trichoderma Harzianum & Vesicular Arbuscular Mycorrhizas

[Felix Dzerzhinsky]

Oh, I'm using compost.. I just have a bin for my water, and take my water out of it as I need it

I doubt it after that long without food or live roots. I'm not sure how long T. Harzianum lasts without roots once it's spores have germinated but I doubt it would last long in plain water

[squinted]

Oh, I'm using compost.. I just have a bin for my water, and take my water out of it as I need it

I doubt it after that long without food or live roots. I'm not sure how long T. Harzianum lasts without roots once it's spores have germinated but I doubt it would last long in plain water

Thanks Felix, that makes sense alright.. I was told ages ago that if you put a sponge in there, they'll inoculate it and can live there for a while, haven't done that myself

[Felix Dzerzhinsky]

Maybe ? Although I'm not sure what they'd live on in the sponge but it may be possible

[chickenlipsr4]

This threads getting more interesting by the day with all the innoculants, teas and remedies out there .

I haven't seen chitosan mentioned here though, I believe that Gunnaknow brought it up a year or so ago and its very promising stuff.

Its on of the main enzymes that trichoderma sends out to hunt around for pathogens in the soil (or on the leaves I presume) and once it finds some it mass produces it as chitosan destroys the cell walls of some of the nastier fungi allowing the tricho to ingest it.

Chitosan also gets detected by the plant itself and warns it that theres a fungal battle going on so it activates its own defence system too (works best in low nitrogen situ's) and can be applied either by foliar, direct watering or as a (preventative) seed soak.

I use it all the time as a seed soak now as I've always believed that prevention is better than cure and no longer seem to have any fungal issues. I don't know if its the definitive answer to lsf but its helped me and is I believe worth a mention on the thread.

Interesting you should mention chitosan as when I was a student, as part of my dissertation. I used it as biological immunostimulant in the hope of stimulatimg plant hairy root cell cultures to produce a group of novel antiviral compounds called calystegins. However that was many moons ago and I hadn't even thought of using it for canna! This thread does get more interesting you're quite right.

Incidentally chitosan isn't an enzyme it's a polysaccharide like cellulose in many ways. Commercial grade stuff comes from shrimp exoskeleton. I think what you are talking about that trichoderma excrete are chitinases which alongside other protyolytic enzymes are used to parasitise pathogenic fungi. You are quite right that in a similar way to that which the prescence of trichoderma harzianum seems to stimulate the plants immune system into better protecting itself so does chitosan.

Reading your post got me thinking and I wondered if anyone had looked at whether the effects of chitosan and t harzianum were additive and low and behold a quick google later reveals a paper describing just that enhanced antifungal activity of the t harzianum treated with chitosan!

The Mutagenic Activity of Chitosan and its Effect on the Growth of

Trichoderma harzianum and Fusarium oxysporum F. Sp. Sesami

A. Abou Sereih, Neven, Abd-El-Aal, S., KH. and A.F. Sahab

Microbial Genetics Department, National Research Centre, Dokky, Cairo, Egypt.

Department of Plant pathology, National Research Centre, Dokky, Cairo, Egypt.

Abstract: Five concentrations of chitosan; 0.38, 0.75, 1.50, 3.00 and 4.50 mg/ml were used to study its

effect on the growth of Fusarium oxysporum f sp. Sesami and Trichoderma harzianum. Chitosan inhibited

the growth of Fusarium increasingly with the doses; 0.38, 0.75and 1.50 mg/ml, while no growth was

obtained when the two concentrations; 3.00and 4.50 mg/ml were used. In case of Trichoderma, in addition

to growth inhibition with chitosan treatment, two doses; 3.00 and 4.50 mg/ml resulted in changing the

growth color from green to yellow. It was found that chitosan treatment of Trichoderma with the two

doses; 3.00 and 4.50 mg/ml has affected the fungus genetically. The induced mutants were isolated and

characterized. Chitosan Addition to the media enhanced the antagonistic properties of Trichoderma against

Fusarium. Protein fingerprinting and Statistical analysis of the obtained data for the chitosan concentrations

and its control were done.

Key words: Fusarium oxysporum f. sp. sesami, Trichoderma harzianum, Chitosan, Biocontrol agent,

Genetic effect and

Page 1

Journal of Applied Sciences Research, 3(6): 450-455, 2007

Is there potential application to our beloved hobby?

I think there might be

[I Zimbra]

nice one chickenlips! Great name by the way I had a friend who we all said could kip on a chickens lip!

Good stuff by the looks that chitosan, I was worried how it would co exist with the soil life but it seems to be an exellent addition. I think it may be in egg shells as well but don't quote me on it I just remember something about it when I was looking into worm casts or worm farming

[Felix Dzerzhinsky]

Nice one chickenlipsr4

Where might we buy chitosan ? Is it something that's easy to get ?

In dry conditions the spores can last for quite a long time but if the conditions are moist you will find the spores germinating fairly quickly. That's why all AM inoculants are dry, would be interesting to find out how long the spores take to germinate.

The reason digging disrupts mycorrhizas is because it breaks up the hyphae, hypha are incredibly delicate and hair thin. Disturbing the compost breaks the hypha up and the the fungi will have to regrow them.

Edited August 23, 2008 by felix_dzerjinski
spelling

[Trychs]

Where might we buy chitosan ? Is it something that's easy to get ?

I ordered mine from travena.co.uk, you're looking for a product called softguard. Don't know if a cheaper source can be found as it was my first search for it so if anyone finds a better or cheaper source it'd be good to know. Found their rooting gel to be good too.

[Guest Mr P]

Morning guys, I've got a question on fish tank heaters.

I was going to go out and get one today but, the smallest one I can find is a 50 watt one, is that going to be alright in a 2 litre jug with 1 litre of water in it, I know its got a thermostat but it just seems a bit over kill?

[Felix Dzerzhinsky]

That's the style of growing I'd aspire to OT

Where might we buy chitosan ? Is it something that's easy to get ?

I ordered mine from travena.co.uk, you're looking for a product called softguard. Don't know if a cheaper source can be found as it was my first search for it so if anyone finds a better or cheaper source it'd be good to know. Found their rooting gel to be good too.

Thank you Trychs that looks interesting, anyone for a comparison grow ?

Morning guys, I've got a question on fish tank heaters.

I was going to go out and get one today but, the smallest one I can find is a 50 watt one, is that going to be alright in a 2 litre jug with 1 litre of water in it, I know its got a thermostat but it just seems a bit over kill?

Just had a butchers and my heater is 25w and roughly 18cm long which fits well into smaller vessels. If you can't get a heater easily just now how warm is your grow room ? Just pop it in there with something underneath to catch any foam. Heat mat might be better

[Davey Jones]

Morning guys, I've got a question on fish tank heaters.

I was going to go out and get one today but, the smallest one I can find is a 50 watt one, is that going to be alright in a 2 litre jug with 1 litre of water in it, I know its got a thermostat but it just seems a bit over kill?

It will be sweet mate, think a kettle has a 3oooW element, bigger wattage heater just means it will be on for less time than a smaller model would which is better IMO, the equipment isn't running flat out forever

EM2

[Randalizer]

Thanks for that Weedio! If there is one critique I have about UK420 is that the info in here has a pretty low signal to noise ratio. In other words a lot of pleasantries and chit chat intermingled with useful information.

It makes for a very pleasant, social environment but not, sometimes, for a very focused discussion. Interesting that they say to use unchlorinated water.

Edited August 23, 2008 by Randalizer

[Weedio]

Aye, alot of the discussion in this thread tends to shoot over my head, i try to grab it back with further reading but occasionally i need to ask stupid questions. Someone has to eh?

I think what i've learned in this thread alone will eclipse most peoples growing though, i can't wait to see the effects.

[Felix Dzerzhinsky]

A new thread has been created 'Actively Aerated Compost Tea' and all posts relating to that have been moved over.

This was done as AACT's really do deserve their own thread rather than piggybacking on another.

[Randalizer]

Nice work Comrade and thank you.

[scraglor]

does anyone have any thoughts on the use of rootgrow and the like with composts like JI that have superphosphate in, as i've read that the fungi wont establish in the presence of superphosphate, or if there is myco already established adding high P ferts like bat gauno can burn the plants/fungi. although i'm sure OT1 said he had tested the stuff on a compost with +JI