Molecular and genetic adaptations of heat-treated Trichoderma harzianum for enhanced stress resilience and biocontrol efficiency

Abstract Background Sustainable agriculture requires the development of approaches that complement traditional management and breeding options to reduce the negative impact of abiotic stress factors on yields. Trichoderma harzianum is an important biocontrol agent commonly used to improve plant growth, nutrient uptake and resistance to abiotic stress. It is well characterized and has been shown to confer stress tolerance in sevanalyzed for molecular and biochemical adaptations mm disk of preheatederal other microbes, including some Trichoderma species. We explored genetic and proteomic changes related to heat stress resistance in T. harzianum, which indirectly supports improved biocontrol under harsh environments. Results While the viability of the parent T. harzianum strains sharply decreased after exposure to extreme stress, the recovered strain exhibited significantly enhanced growth post-recovery, indicating stress adaptation. The recovered strain was analyzed for molecular and biochemical adaptations. Furthermore, high adaptability was observed as 50–58% of polymorphism was confirmed by genetic analysis. Consistently, two HSPs at 120 KDa and 131 KDa were found to be associated with preferentially accelerated stress tolerance. Conclusions The heat‐treated T. harzianum strains developed in this study exhibit increased abiotic stress tolerance compared to conventionally developed strains and appear to be most suitable for biocontrol in difficult agricultural environments. These results will pave the way for the development of microbes that maintain resilience to climate variability for sustainable agricultural applications.