Molecular Approaches for Detection of Trichoderma Green Mold Disease in Edible Mushroom Production

SIMPLE SUMMARY: The green mold disease caused by the pathogenic fungi Trichoderma spp. is the most harmful disease for edible mushroom production. This disease’s harmful effect is due to the belated detection of the green mold disease, which occurs when the damage to the yield is irreversible. Severe epidemics of green mold started during the 1980s and 1990s in Europe and America and triggered the development of molecular approaches for the monitoring and detection of Trichoderma. The most promising molecular tools are nucleic acid (NA)-based methods. In this review, we discuss the currently most-used molecular methods for green mold detection and introduce an NA-based isothermal amplification methodology suitable for the development of point-of-need (PON) devices for field applications in detecting this disease. ABSTRACT: Due to the evident aggressive nature of green mold and the consequently huge economic damage it causes for producers of edible mushrooms, there is an urgent need for prevention and infection control measures, which should be based on the early detection of various Trichoderma spp. as green mold causative agents. The most promising current diagnostic tools are based on molecular methods, although additional optimization for real-time, in-field detection is still required. In the first part of this review, we briefly discuss cultivation-based methods and continue with the secondary metabolite-based methods. Furthermore, we present an overview of the commonly used molecular methods for Trichoderma species/strain detection. Additionally, we also comment on the potential of genomic approaches for green mold detection. In the last part, we discuss fast screening molecular methods for the early detection of Trichoderma infestation with the potential for in-field, point-of-need (PON) application, focusing on isothermal amplification methods. Finally, current challenges and future perspectives in Trichoderma diagnostics are summarized in the conclusions.