Diversity of Trichoderma species associated with green mold contaminating substrates of Lentinula edodes and their interaction

The contamination of species causing green mold in substrates poses a significant obstacle to the global production of , adversely impacting both yield and quality of fruiting bodies. However, the diversity of species in the contaminated substrates of (CSL) in China is not clear. The purpose of this study was to assess the biodiversity of species in CSL, and their interactions with . A comprehensive two-year investigation of the biodiversity of species in CSL was conducted with 150 samples collected from four provinces of China. strains were isolated and identified based on integrated studies of phenotypic and molecular data. Resistance of to the dominant species was evaluated in dual culture . A total of 90 isolates were obtained and identified as 14 different species, including six new species named as , , , , , and , among which, , and were identified as dominant species in the CSL. Meanwhile, three known species, namely, , and were isolated from CSL for the first time in the world, and was firstly reported to be associated with in China. Notebly, the in vitro evaluation of resistance to dominant species showed strains of generally possess poor resistance to contamination with strain SX8 relatively higher resistant. This study systematically investigated the diversity of species in the contaminated substrate of , and a total of 31 species so far have been reported, indicating that green mold contaminated substrates of edible fungi were undoubtedly a biodiversity hotspot of species. Results in this study will provide deeper insight into the genus and lay a strong foundation for scientific management of the contamination in cultivation.