Tolerance and growth of 11 Trichoderma strains to crude oil, naphthalene, phenanthrene and benzo[a]pyrene

Petroleum hydrocarbons (PHs) are major organic contaminants in soils, whose degradation process is mediated by microorganisms such as the filamentous fungi Cunninghamella elegans and Phanerochaete chrysosporium. However, little is known about the tolerance and the degradation capability of Trichoderma species when exposed to PH. This research evaluated the tolerance and growth of 11 Trichoderma strains to crude oil (COil), naphthalene (NAPH), phenanthrene (PHE) and benzo[a]pyrene (B[a]P) by using in vitro systems. Petri dishes containing solid mineral minimum medium were separately contaminated with COil, with seven doses of either NAPH or PHE (250, 500, 750, 1000, 2000, and 3000 mg L(-1)), and with six doses of B[a]P (10, 25, 50, 75, and 100 mg L(-1)). Non-contaminated plates were used as controls. Trichoderma strains were exposed to all the contaminants by triplicate, and the growth of each fungal colony was daily recorded. No significant differences were observed among Trichoderma strains when they were exposed to COil in which the maximum fungal growth was reached at 96 h. In contrast, Trichoderma strains showed variations to tolerate and grow under different doses of either NAPH, PHE or B[a]P. Increasing NAPH doses resulted on significant greater fungal growth inhibition than PHE doses. The exposure to B[a]P did not inhibited growth of some Trichoderma strains.