ArticleBMC plant biology2026
Unlocking the potential of Trichoderma harzianum isolate Zag-1 to boost drought tolerance in maize plants.
Article in BMC plant biology, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 2 papers.
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2 citing papers in PubMed.
- Harnessing plant growth-promoting microorganisms to improve drought resilience in common bean (Phaseolus vulgaris L.).BMC plant biology · 2026Article
- Mitigation of lead stress in Zea mays L. plants: the role of Trichoderma harzianum Zag-1 in enhancing antioxidant defense and physiological stability.BMC plant biology · 2026Article
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Abstract
Drought stress is main abiotic constraint restrictive maize (Zea mays L.) growth worldwide. An effective agricultural approach to enhance its growth under this stress is the plant growth-promoting microorganism’s application. In this study, Trichoderma harzianum isolate Zag-1 was evaluated for its potential to mitigate drought-induced damage in maize plants. At first, T. harzianum was isolated from pepper plant’s rhizosphere soils, and its growth-promoting characteristics were assessed, including indole-3-acetic acid (IAA), hydrolytic enzymes (chitinase, amylase, and cellulase), ammonia production, and zinc and phosphorus solubilization, all of which showed positive results, confirming its growth-promoting attributes. Besides, an in vivo experiment was conducted under controlled greenhouse conditions by withholding irrigation until soil moisture dropped to ~ 45% field water capacity (FWC) for 15 days. Four treatments are used: (1) well-watered control (90% field water capacity, FWC), (2) T. harzianum-inoculated under well-watered conditions, (3) drought-stressed (45% FWC), and (4) T. harzianum-inoculated+ drought-stressed. After 15 days of drought application, morphological (shoot height, in addition shoot and root fresh and dry weights), physiological (Chl a and b, relative water content [RWC], and membrane stability index [MSI]) and biochemical (osmolytes [proline, proteins and total soluble sugars] and antioxidant enzyme activities) assessments were recorded. The results indicated that shoot (39.44 and 37.92%) and root (10.29 and 28.77%) fwt and dwt, leaf RWC (7.90%), total pigment content (24.49%) and MSI (9.40%) decreased in drought-stressed maize while an increase in their membrane lipid peroxidation (77.21%), electrolyte leakage (EL) (48.04%) and hydrogen peroxide (128.94%) contents were noted versus the control plants; however, T. harzianum-treated plants showed the reverse responses. T. harzianum-treated maize plants revealed significant boosts in growth and physiology under stress paralleled to untreated ones, along with a notable enhancement in antioxidant defense activity (21.20 and 8.53% for POD and APX). Moreover, under stress, osmoprotectants, including proline (23.78%) and soluble sugars (12.28%) were markedly greater in Trichoderma- inoculated plants than non-inoculated. Our results recommend that T. harzianum is an effective, sustainable biotechnological tool for drought resilience in maize. Therefore, exploring and optimizing the application of T. harzianum addresses the broader goals of resource recycling, environmental sustainability, and climate-smart agriculture.
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