Detection of Trichoderma aggressivum Green Mould During Spawn-run

摘要

Since 2006, green mould (Trichoderma aggressivum) has presented big problems to the Dutch mushroom industry. T. aggressivum infects compost at a very early stage and in the Dutch situation infection most likely takes place at the compost yard. Even though compost producers in the Netherlands are very keen to prevent green mould problems, occasionally still a number of crops get infected. Therefore there is a need for a method that allows early detection of Trichoderma green mould. Agaricus bisporus and T. aggressivum use volatiles to affect each other's growth rate. We tested the possibility of detecting Trichoderma green mould using the volatiles that are produced during spawn run. We used an untargeted metabolomics approach to compare the volatiles emitted by non-infected compost with those of infected compost. A proof of principle for this approach was obtained in an experimental model containing 300 g of freshly spawned, well aerated phase 2 compost. This model compared a development into fully infected compost with a normal spawn-run. In commercial practice of phase 3 composting, tunnels are likely partially infected. We therefore tested whether the method would also work in 50 kg batches of partially infected compost. The potential of using headspace volatiles asa detection method to detect T. aggressivumin the process air of the tunnels, avoiding the need to sample inside the tunnel is discussed.