Biological elicitor potential of endospheric Trichoderma and derived consortia against pepper (Capsicum annuum L.) leaf curl virus

Pepper leaf curl virus (PeLCV), transmitted by whitefly is a cosmopolitan plant viral disease hampering a wide range of crops. Chemical elicitors have been used to curb the trend regardless of their setbacks on environment and human kind. Herein, we report the suppressive effects of Trichoderma Polysporum T1, Atroviridae T2 and Harzianum T8 and their consortia against PeLCV. They endophytically colonised pepper tissue with significant shift in auxin leading to accumulated biological yield. Likewise, Trichoderma-induced innate host immunity priming and stress tolerance may be mediated by the triggered phenylpropanoid biosynthesis (183% more phenolic content). The capability of Trichoderma bioagents to release salicylic acid under in vitro conditions appear to have prominent role in orchestrating PeLCV suppression (up to 50%). Interestingly, no difference was recorded in the specific activity of the destressing enzymes indicating a likely early ROS accumulation at infection sites leading to restricted virus spread. Overall, Trichoderma could help to counteract viral diseases.