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The sugarcane root endophyte  Trichoderma virens  223 holds enormous potential as a sustainable alternative to chemical pesticides in the control of sugarcane diseases. Its efficacy as a biocontrol agent is thought to be associated with its production of chitinase enzymes, including  N -acetyl-ß-D-glucosaminidases, chitobiosidases and endochitinases. We used targeted gene deletion and RNA-dependent gene silencing strategies to disrupt  N -acetyl-ß-D-glucosaminidase and endochitinase activities of the fungus, and to determine their roles in the biocontrol of soil-borne plant pathogens. The loss of  N -acetyl-ß-D-glucosaminidase activities was dispensable for biocontrol of the plurivorous damping-off pathogens  Rhizoctonia solani  and  Sclerotinia sclerotiorum,  and of the sugarcane pathogen  Ceratocystis paradoxa,  the causal agent of pineapple disease. Similarly, suppression of endochitinase activities had no effect on  R. solani  and  S. sclerotiorum  disease control, but had a pronounced effect on the ability of  T. virens  223 to control pineapple disease. Our work demonstrates a critical requirement for  T. virens  223 endochitinase activity in the biocontrol of  C. paradoxa  sugarcane disease, but not for general antagonism of other soil pathogens. This may reflect its lifestyle as a sugarcane root endophyte.

RNA Interference of Endochitinases in the Sugarcane Endophyte Trichoderma virens 223 Reduces Its Fitness as a Biocontrol Agent of Pineapple Disease