Affiliation:
1. Max Planck Institute for Polymer Research Ackermannweg 10 55128 Mainz Germany
2. Sustainable Polymer Chemistry (SPC) Department of Molecules and Materials MESA+ Institute for Nanotechnology Faculty of Science and Technology University of Twente P.O. Box 217 Enschede AE 7500 Netherlands
3. The National Institute of Horticultural Research Konstytucji 3 Maja 1/3 Skierniewice 96‐100 Poland
Abstract
AbstractAgricultural fungicide pollution poses a significant environmental challenge and causes adverse effects on human health. Therefore, strategies to limit fungicide usage are of paramount importance. Trichoderma fungi, due to their antagonistic activity against various pathogenic fungi, have shown potential as a sustainable alternative to chemical fungicides. However, bio‐control agents like Trichoderma are vulnerable to physical stimuli and show diminished efficacy during prolonged storage. To address these challenges, a mild and scalable encapsulation method for Trichoderma spores is introduced, employing a layer‐by‐layer (LbL) approach using biobased lignin derivatives. It is demonstrated that the LbL encapsulation technique significantly improved spore stability relative to naked spores, even under adverse conditions including extreme temperatures and prolonged exposure to Ultraviolet (UV) irradiation. Notably, encapsulated Trichoderma spores showed enhanced efficacy in cultivating tomato plants compared to naked spores. Additionally, the findings revealed that the in planta efficacy of encapsulated spores is dependent on the specific Trichoderma strain used. This study suggests that Trichoderma spores encapsulated with lignin through the LbL approach, are a promising and sustainable alternative to chemical fungicides with potential for commercialization.