Effects of Trichoderma spp.-based Products and Inoculation Timing on the Growth of Hass Avocado Seedlings Grafted onto Zutano Rootstock

Zevallos E.; Bautista J.; Dominguez L.; Pacheco A.; Ayala E.; Enriquez G.; Bazán F.; Llontop J. · Journal of Agricultural Sciences - Sri Lanka (2026) · DOI: 10.4038/jas.v21i3.11624

Resumen

Purpose: This research aimed to determine whether the timing of Trichoderma spp. inoculation influences the growth of Hass avocado seedlings grafted onto Zutano rootstock under nursery conditions. Research Method: Treatments based on T. harzianum (T1), T. viride (T2), and Trichops (a mixture of T. harzianum, T. viride, and T. asperellum-T3) commercial products, as well as a control without any product (T0), were evaluated in two independent experiments corresponding to substrate inoculation before grafting (pre-grafting) and after grafting (post-grafting). The shoot length (SL), number of leaves (NL), leaf area (LA), and dry matter content in leaves (DMCL), stems (DMCS), and roots (DMCR) were assessed. Findings and Values: The treatments showed significant differences in SL, LA, and DMCR under both experiments. Overall, Trichoderma spp.-based products (T1–T3) improved the growth of avocado seedlings compared to T0. Under pre-grafting, T1 outperformed the other treatments with an SL of 20.5 cm, and T3 generated the highest results in DMCR. Under post-grafting, T3 also stood out above the other treatments concerning dry matter content in the three organs evaluated. The study findings highlight the potential of Trichoderma spp. as a sustainable bio-stimulant and underscore the importance of inoculation timing, with pre-grafting applications enhancing vegetative growth more consistently than post-grafting ones.

Instituciones: Universidad Nacional Daniel Alcides Carrión; Universidad Nacional Agraria La Molina