Dual functionality of : Biocontrol of and biostimulant of cotton plants.

Microbial crop protection products based on have the ability to display multifunctional roles in plant protection, such as pathogen parasitism, enhance nutrient availability and stimulate plant growth, and these traits can be used to enhance the overall agronomic performance of a variety of crops. In the current study, we explored the multifunctional potential of two indigenous Brazilian strains of ( CMAA 1584 and CMAA 1585) for their capability of controlling , a key plant pathogen of cotton, and for their ability of growth promotion in cotton plants (). Both strains were able to solubilize mineral phosphorus (CaHPO), to release volatile organic compounds that impaired the mycelial growth of , and to promote the growth of cotton plants under greenhouse conditions. In dual culture, strains reduced the growth rate and the number of sclerotia formed by . By treating sclerotia with conidial suspensions of these strains, a strong inhibition of the myceliogenic germination was observed, as a result of the marked mycoparasitic activity exerted on the sclerotia. The parasitism over was more effective with CMAA 1584, whilst the biostimulant effects on cotton growth were more pronounced with CMAA 1585, which also showed a higher capacity of phosphate solubilization. Thus CMAA 1584 displays higher efficiency in controlling , while CMAA 1585 is more suitable as a biostimulant due to its ability to promote growth in cotton plants. Overall, these strains may be used in mixture to provide both pathogen control and promotion of plant growth, and this strategy will support growers in minimizing the use of synthetic fertilizers and fungicides against white mold in cotton crops.