Soil Functional Roles of Trichoderma in Sustainable Wheat Production: Insights from a Global Meta-Analysis and Soil Metagenomics

Soil microbial communities play essential roles in maintaining soil functions, nutrient cycling, and sustainable crop production. Beneficial fungi such as Trichoderma represent promising biological tools for integrated soil management by enhancing plant performance and reducing reliance on chemical inputs. However, the consistency of Trichoderma-mediated benefits across agricultural systems and the functional mechanisms underlying these effects remain unclear. This study integrates a global meta-analysis with soil metagenomic profiling to evaluate the contribution of Trichoderma to sustainable wheat production. Analysis of 293 independent experiments demonstrated that Trichoderma inoculation significantly improved wheat plant height, root length, shoot and root biomass, and grain yield, with the strongest responses observed in root-related traits. Species-specific effects were evident, with T. afroharzianum, T. harzianum, T. asperellum, T. longibrachiatum, and T. viride all showing positive impacts, whereas unidentified Trichoderma spp. did not. Metagenomic analysis of long-term wheat soils from Australia and China identified 45 Trichoderma-assigned genes, mostly related to metabolism, including pathways linked to nutrient acquisition, nitrate reduction, secondary metabolite biosynthesis, and pathogen suppression. These findings demonstrate that Trichoderma contributes to soil functional improvement by promoting nutrient-related processes, strengthening plant–microbe interactions, and supporting wheat productivity. The results highlight the potential of beneficial soil fungi as sustainable components of integrated soil management strategies for improving food production while reducing environmental impacts.