ABSTRACT
The genus Trichoderma is cosmopolitan in soils and on decaying wood and vegetable matter. Species of Trichoderma are frequently dominant components of the soil microfiora in widely varying habitats. This may be attributable to the diverse metabolic capability of Trichoderma species and their aggressively competitive nature. Strains of Trichoderma are rarely associated with diseases of living plants, although an aggressive strain of T. harzianum causes a significant disease of the commercial mushroom (Volume 2, Chapter 12). Samuels (1996) provides a comprehensive review of the biology of Trichoderma, and of the technological exploitation of Trichoderma species for enzyme production and biological control.
