Adaptive Agriculture Resilient Innovations for Sustainable C

Trichoderma asperelloides in combination with vermicompost induces defense response and promote plant growth in rice Anurag Sunpapao On-Uma Ruangwong , Wasin Poncheewin , Siwaret Arikit , Kanamon Riangwong and Prisana Wonglom 1 2 3 4 5 6 Agricultural Innovation and Management Division (Pest Management), 1 Faculty of Natural Resources, Prince of Songkla University, Hatyai, 90110, Thailand Department of Entomology and Plant Pathology, Faculty of Agriculture, 2 Chiang Mai University, Mueang Chiang Mai 50200, Thailand National Center for Genetic Engineering and Biotechnology (BIOTEC), National Science 3 and Technology Development Agency (NSTDA), Khlong Luang 10120, Thailand Department of Agronomy, Faculty of Agriculture at Kamphaeng Saen, Kasetsart University, 4 Kamphaeng Saen Campus, Kamphaeng Saen 73140, Thailand Department of Biotechnology, Faculty of Engineering and Industrial Technology, Silpakorn University, Sanamchandra Palace Campus, Nakhon Pathom 73000, Thailand 5 Faculty of Technology and Community Development, Thaksin University, Pa-Payom 93210, Thailand 6 *Corresponding author’s email: prisana.w@tsu.ac.th 5 Abstract Vermicompost (VC) produced by African nightcrawler earthworms (Eudrilus eugeniae) is a natural fertilizer with a rich microbial community. Trichoderma asperelloides PSU-P1 is an effective antagonistic microorganism with multifaceted activity mechanisms. This research aimed to develop Trichoderma- bioenriched vermicompost (TBVC) to promote plant growth and induce the defense response in the Thai rice variety “Chor Khing”. T. asperelloides PSU-P1 was tested against Rhizoctonia solani, the pathogen of sheath blight disease, using a dual-culture assay. The results showed that T. asperelloides PSU-P1 effectively inhibited R. solani in vitro growth by 70.48%. The TBVC was prepared by adding a conidial suspension (108 conidia/mL) to vermicompost. The viability of Trichoderma persisted in the vermicompost for 6 months and ranged from 1.2 to 2.8 × 107 CFU/mL. Vermicompost water extracts significantly enhanced seed germination, root length, and shoot length compared to a control group (p < 0.05). Plants that received the TBVC displayed significantly longer shoot and root lengths and higher total chlorophyll content than control plants (p < 0.05). Webinar Seminar: Adaptive Agriculture: Resilient Innovations for Sustainable Change Date: 7 November 2025 | Time: 09.00 – 12.00 (Thai Time) Hosted: Faculty of Technology and Community Development, Thaksin University, Thailand