i have been reading about this "beneficial" fungi which "acts as a mycoparasite or saprophyte to establish a niche for itself, often at the expense of other fungi which it may use as an alternative source of nutrients. It has been clearly demonstrated actively parasitising basidiomycete fungi including Rhizoctonia solani, Armillaria mellea and
Chondrostereum purpureum."
have any of you had experience with this "bio-fungicide"? it seems to offer a great deal of promise in relation to inhibiting pathogenic fungi of both the roots and trunk.

Reply to post by mark lutherborrow, on January 22, 2000 at 06:06:39:

I have been observing some of the work being done by a plant pathologist here in Sydney on our local Armillaria luteobubalina. So far the results are promising but it must be considered as a medium to long term control method of supressing pathogenic fungi rather than controlling them. For a summary of how Trichoderma works, go to the Sydney Royal Botanic Gardens site, in particular:

http://www.rbgsyd.gov.au/html/Science/Horticulture/Pathology/Armillaria.html

Regards,

Garry Clubley

Reply to post by Garry Clubley, on January 22, 2000 at 06:06:39:

thanx for the response gary. i have found out further info elsewhere. there is a company in N.Z that is producing tichoderma based products for many applications. they have pellets for soil innoculation, and for introduction into the trees woody tissue, also a wound paint for pruning wounds and cavities. apparently it is a registered bio fungicide in many countries but not yet here in australia. the info i have seen is produced by the manufacturer of these products so i read all the glowing reports with a healthy scepticism. if indeed these products perform i wonder why they have not taken the arboriculture industry by storm ? shigo makes mention of the fungicide stating that it could temporarily stall decay . does anyone have experience with this fungicide ?

Reply to post by mark lutherborrow, on January 24, 2000 at 03:36:15:

Mark,

the product is available in Australia from Brooks. I do not recall any literature that
suggests that it is pathogenic to Amillaria. It is an oportunistic saprophyte. I have
personal concerns about relying on one species of fungi to fulfil this role. Most natural
plant ecologies have many such fungi. This biodiversity is also important.

The range of benificial fungi suitable for the environment can be easilly encouraged by the
use of mulch (Dr James Downer U.C.). It is important that this wood has a good balance of
carbon and Nitrogen. Branch chippings are ideal. There appears to be no impact from Nitrogen
drawdown on the rhyzoshere so it would appear that it can be applied green. Isn't it strange
how the natural model seems to work best again and better still it provides a valuble use for
all those chips we produce.

Mark

Reply to post by Mark Hartley, on January 29, 2000 at 08:30:00:

mark ,
i have a paper here which states that trichoderma "has been clearly demonstrated actively parasitising basidiomycete fungi including Rhizoctonia solani, Armillaria mellea, and chondrostereum purpureum" . the paper goes on to describe many commercial applications of trichoderma including control of wood decay fungi , soil borne fungi , and also it apparently facilitates nutrient uptake . if you are interested i will email the paper to you . i agree that viewing trichoderma as the universal panacea may be risky and that to follow natures lead is no doubt safer but if the product can assist in maintaining tree health it should be investigated . Finally, your comment on green mulch is interesting as i thought green material composted for 12 months was much more beneficial than fresh mulch. i would like to read the source you mention in your post if you can email it to me thanx. mark.

Reply to post by mark lutherborrow, on January 29, 2000 at 19:09:48:

Mark,

I do not have a copy that I can easilly Email but I am sure there are some
notes and Jame's contact details in my files and know that the work has been
published. I would also like to see the article you have mentioned. To the best
of my understanding Trichoderma simply controlls its food source using secondary
metabolites which repel other fungi. This is a process quite common amongst fungi.

Mark

Reply to post by mark lutherborrow, on January 22, 2000 at 06:06:39:

There is a recent article in European Journal
of Forest Pathology Vol. 29 (5). They tried
controlling Heterobasidium annosum on Norway
spruce with biocontrol agents Trichoderma
harzianum, Verticillium bulbillosum, Hypoloma
fasciculare, Phanerochaete velutina,
Vuilleminia comedens, and the chemical
Propiconazole, and some other treatments.
All treatments reduced the H. annuosum compared
to controls (no treatment). In short, they
concluded that treatment with Trichoderma is
unsuitable because of poor effectiveness, and
because it greatly reduces fungal biodiversity.
Propiconazole combined good effectiveness, with slight
alteration of the microbial community, and
therefore is suitable for use in the forest.
I do not know a thing about Propiconazole, and
this study was only for H. annosum on Norway
spruce. If I find out more, I will post it.

Reply to post by Peter Torres, on January 22, 2000 at 06:06:39:

dear sir
please send me review articl about atrichoderma
as a biological control
yours, khyate