Multifaceted role of Trichoderma harzianum isolates in mitigating drought stress and promoting adaptive responses in barley cultivars
A 2025 study published in Scientific Reports by researchers from Alzahra University and the University of Tehran explored how biopriming barley seeds with beneficial fungi – specifically two isolates of Trichoderma harzianum – can significantly improve drought tolerance in cereal crops .
The study compared the effects of a wild-type strain (TW) and a gamma-ray mutant strain (TM) on two barley cultivars: Goharan (naturally drought-tolerant) and Nosrat (drought-sensitive). Plants were subjected to varying drought stress levels using polyethylene glycol (PEG 6000) solutions.
Results showed that bioprimed plants exhibited improved growth, biomass, and stress resilience compared to untreated controls. The TM strain, in particular, restored over 50% of the biomass typically lost under severe drought, enhanced auxin (IAA) production, and boosted the activity of key antioxidant enzymes and respiratory pathways such as SOD, POX, PPO, and MDH .
Additionally, the treatments improved chlorophyll content, soluble sugars, and protein accumulation – key physiological traits linked to photosynthesis and osmotic regulation. These benefits were observed across both cultivars, with TM showing stronger overall effects.
The findings highlight the potential of Trichoderma-based seed treatments as a sustainable, biological strategy to mitigate drought impacts in barley and possibly other cereal crops – reducing reliance on chemical inputs while improving yield stability.