Antagonismo in vitro tra Gibberella fujikuroi ed alcuni miceli di funghi endofiti associati a Phragmites australis.

The decline of the common reed, Phragmites australis (Cav.) Trin. ex Steudel (Poaceae) has been observed in many European countries, including Italy, and primarily ascribed to the die-back syndrome. Several biotic and abiotic factors have been implicated in P. australis decline, the biotic factors including toxins produced by plant pathogens such as Gibberella fujikuroi (Sawada) Wollenw. In order to identify a suitable strategy for biologically controlling G. fujikuroi and ensuring the protection of the delicate ecological balance of P. australis-dominated ecosystems, this study tested the in vitro antagonistic activity of some endophytic fungi against G. fujikuroi. The result showed that some of these fungal isolates could inhibit G. fujikuroi mycelial growth in dual cultures. Trichoderma saturnisporum Hammill had the maximum inhibitory effect on G. fujikuroi mycelial growth, whereas isolates of Acremonium sp., Penicillium concentricum Samson, Stolk & Hadlok and Pycnidiophora dispersa Clum showed significantly modest mycelial growth inhibition. In dual cultures with G. fujikuroi, the antagonistic T. saturnisporum showed initial deadlock, followed by complete replacement of G. fujikuroi. These results demonstrate the potential role of fungal endophytes to prevent or reduce damage caused by G. fujikuroi to reed plants.