prolonged photosynthetic activity and the delayed senescence
in rice plants (Mishra and Salokhe, 2011). Further,
Trichoderma spp. was recently reported as having the potential
to degrade cellulose (Jiang et al., 2011). Cellulose
degradation may release a large amount of N in rice plant
rhizosphere. High N concentration uptake has positive
correlation with photosynthetic rate.
In Figure 2, water use efficiency of Trichoderma sp.
SL2 was the highest among the Trichoderma spp. isolates
registering at 1.15 μmolmmol−1
. Stomatal conductance
was significantly correlated with photosynthesis.
Stomatal conductance plays an importance role in generating
photosynthesis in rice plants because H2O and
CO2 which are involved in photosynthetic process must
pass through the stomata before they enter mesophyll
cells and chloroplast stroma (Fu et al., 2008). Further,
Harman et al. (2004) stated that mechanisms employed
by Trichoderma spp. in enhancing nutrient availability
by solubilization and chelation of minerals can increase
plant metabolism leading to the enhancement of plant
physiological activity.
The present study concludes that Trichoderma spp. have
the potential to enhance rice physiological processes and
growth. In this respect, the present experiment proved
that Trichoderma sp. SL2 was the best strain compared to
six others strains.