Wastewater irrigation and Trichoderma colonization in tomato plants: effects on plant traits, antioxidant activity, and performance of the insect pest Macrosiphum euphorbiae

The scarcity of freshwater for agriculture in many regions has led to the application of sewage and saline water for irrigation. Irrigation with non-conventional water sources could become a non-harmful process for plant cultivation, and the effects of their use on crops should be monitored in order to develop optimal management strategies. One possibility to overcome potential barriers is to use biostimulants such as Trichoderma spp. fungi. Tomato is a crop of great economic importance in the world. This study investigated the joint effects of Trichoderma afroharzianum T-22 on tomato plants irrigated with simulated unconventional waters. The experiment consisted of a control and three water treatments. In the control, the plants were watered with distilled water. The three water treatments were obtained by using an irrigation water added with nitrogen, a wastewater effluent, and a mixed groundwater-wastewater effluents. Potted tomato plants (variety Bobcat) were grown in a controlled growth chamber. Antioxidant activity, susceptibility to the aphids Macrosiphum euphorbiae , and tomato plant growth parameters were estimated. Trichoderma afroharzianum T-22 had a positive effect on plant growth and antioxidant defenses when plants were irrigated with distilled water. Instead, no significant morphological effects induced by T. afroharzianum T-22 on plants were observed when unconventional water was used for irrigation. However, inoculation with T. afroharzianum T-22 activated a stress response that made the colonized plants more susceptible to aphid development and increased their fecundity and longevity. Thanks to this study, it may be possible for the first time to open a new discussion on the practical possibility of using reclaimed wastewater for crop irrigation with the addition of a growth-promoting fungal symbiont.