Bacillus spp. are a genus of biocontrol bacteria widely used for antibiosis, while Trichoderma spp. are biocontrol fungi that are abundantly explored. In this study, a liquid co-cultivation of these two organisms was tried firstly. Through liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry/mass spectrometry (LC–MS/MS), it was discovered that with an inoculation in the ratio of 1.9:1, the antimicrobial effect of the co-cultured fermentation liquor of Bacillus amyloliquefaciens ACCC11060 and Trichoderma asperellum GDFS1009 was found to be significantly higher than that of pure-cultivation. A raise in the synthesis of antimicrobial substances contributed to this significant increase. Additionally, a co-culture with the inoculation of the two organisms in the ratio of 1:1 was found to enhance the production of specific amino acids. This technique could be further explored for either a large scale production of amino acids or could serve as a theoretical base for the generation of certain rare amino acids. This work clearly demonstrated that co-cultivation of B. amyloliquefaciens ACCC11060 and T. asperellum GDFS1009 could produce more specific biocontrol substances and amino acids.

This study examines nitrogen transformation mechanisms and compost quality in mesophilic aerobic composting of wheat straw, utilizing cow manure as a co-substrate to promote sustainable agricultural waste management. Two composting systems were established: group A (control) and group B (10% cow manure addition by wet weight). The addition of cow manure accelerated early organic matter decomposition and increased total nitrogen retention in group B. Nitrogen losses occurred primarily via ammonia volatilization during the initial and final composting stages, while functional gene analysis revealed enhanced ammonification and nitrification in both systems. Microbial community analysis showed that cow manure addition promoted nitrogen-fixing bacteria in the early phase and fungi associated with complex organic degradation in later stages. These findings underscore the potential of cow manure to enhance compost maturity, improve nitrogen efficiency, and support the development of sustainable composting practices that contribute to resource conservation.

Though it is toxic to humans, dichlorvos is a widely used chemical pesticide and plays an important role in the control of plant pests. The application of a combination of the biocontrol agent Trichoderma with dichlorvos may reduce the need for chemical pesticides. Therefore, revealing the specific molecular mechanism of Trichoderma tolerance to dichlorvos has become particularly important. In this study, using transcriptome and metabolome analyses, changes in primary and secondary metabolisms in Trichoderma asperellum TJ01 were comprehensively studied in the presence of dichlorvos. A novel C2H2 zinc finger protein gene, zinc finger chimera 1 (zfc1), was discovered to be upregulated, along with a large number of oxidoreductase genes and ABC transporter genes under dichlorvos stress. In addition, gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-TOF-MS), and liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry (LC-QQQ-MS) data revealed the global primary and secondary metabolic changes that occur in T. asperellum TJ01 under dichlorvos stress. The tolerance mechanism of T. asperellum TJ01 to dichlorvos was proposed. In addition, the absorption and residue of dichlorvos were analyzed, laying the foundation for elucidation of the mechanism by which T. asperellum TJ01 degrades pesticide residues.

Background: The mycotoxin zearalenone (ZEA) produced by toxigenic fungi is widely present in cereals and its downstream products. The danger of ZEA linked to various human health issues has attracted increasing attention. Thus, powerful ZEA-degrading or detoxifying strategies are urgently needed. Biology-based detoxification methods are specific, efficient, and environmentally friendly and do not lead to negative effects during cereal decontamination. Among these, ZEA detoxification using degrading enzymes was documented to be a promising strategy in broad research. Here, two efficient ZEA-degrading lactonases from the genus Gliocladium, ZHDR52 and ZHDP83, were identified for the first time. This work studied the degradation capacity and properties of ZEA using purified recombinant ZHDR52 and ZHDP83. Results: According to the ZEA degradation study, transformed Escherichia coli BL21(DE3) PLySs cells harboring the zhdr52 or zhdp83 gene could transform 20 µg/mL ZEA within 2 h and degrade > 90% of ZEA toxic derivatives, α/β-zearalanol and α/β-zearalenol, within 6 h. Biochemical analysis demonstrated that the optimal pH was 9.0 for ZHDR52 and ZHDP83, and the optimum temperature was 45 °C. The purified recombinant ZHDR52 and ZHDP83 retained > 90% activity over a wide range of pH values and temperatures (pH 7.0–10.0 and 35–50 °C). In addition, the specific activities of purified ZHDR52 and ZHDP83 against ZEA were 196.11 and 229.64 U/mg, respectively. The results of these two novel lactonases suggested that, compared with ZHD101, these two novel lactonases transformed ZEA into different products. The slight position variations in E126 and H242 in ZDHR52/ZEA and ZHDP83/ZEA obtained via structural modelling may explain the difference in degradation products. Moreover, the MCF-7 cell proliferation assay indicated that the products of ZEA degradation using ZHDR52 and ZHDP83 did not exhibit estrogenic activity. Conclusions: ZHDR52 and ZHDP83 are alkali ZEA-degrading enzymes that can efficiently and irreversibly degrade ZEA into non-estrogenic products, indicating that they are potential candidates for commercial application. This study identified two excellent lactonases for industrial ZEA detoxification.

Trichoderma spp. are among the most widely recognized biocontrol fungi used to inhibit pathogens and promote plant growth. These functions are related to primary and secondary metabolites. This study investigated the different metabolites in Trichoderma asperellum TJ01 cultured for 24 and 72 h using liquid chromatography with triple-quadrupole mass spectrometry. Compared to the 24 h culture of T. asperellum TJ01, the 72 h culture with amino acid metabolism tended to decrease while sugar and lipid metabolisms tended to increase. Furthermore, the 72 h culture had a higher proportion of upregulated flavonoids, in combination with a higher proportion of downregulated alkaloids, and equal proportions of upregulated and downregulated polyphenols and hormones. This study also identified a few valuable medicinal substances such as trigonelline and 5-hydroxytryptophan in T. asperellum TJ01 fermentation cultures.