Trichoderma Interactions in Vegetable Rhizosphere Under Tropical Weather Conditions

The use of Trichoderma in world agriculture has established itself as an alternative for sustainable production. Not always bioproducts developed in other latitudes have managed to respond adequately when they are introduced in soils of tropical climate. It has been mentioned that poor adaptation to these conditions causes some isolates not to be incorporated into the soil microbiome; however, several factors regulate the structure of a microorganism’s community associated with a crop. This chapter details aspect related to research with native isolates with the aim of improving the inoculation techniques of the fungus and its establishment in rhizosphere of onion, garlic, and sweet pepper crops, under tropical environmental conditions in Central America. Tests carried out over several years have shown that even native isolates may have an irregular behavior in terms of their capacity for mycoparasitism, growth regulation, and influence on yield. It is necessary to deepen into the way in which biological control mechanisms of each Trichoderma species and isolates are affected by the soil dynamics, the climatic factors, the systems and intensity of the crop, and the forms of inoculation.