Nur Syafikah Abdullah is a postgraduate (PhD) student at the Institute for Advanced Studies, Universiti Malaya (UM). She graduated with first class degree Bachelor of Science from UM in 2019. Before that, she was enrolled in Pusat Asasi Sains Universiti Malaya (PASUM). Her research interest is in Genetics and Molecular Biology. In 2020, she was introduced into the Microbiology and Phytology division where she joined a community project with rice farmers, providing biofertilizer to be applied on their paddy fields. Currently undergoing her postgraduate study to further her understanding of fungal-plant interaction on the biochemistry and molecular levels.
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Omic technologies; metabolomics, transcriptomics and metagenomics in understanding symbiotic interaction between Trichoderma asperellum SL2 and rice plant
N. S. ABDULLAH, F. DONI, M. Z. SAIMAN, Y. M. YUSUF, N. S. M. SUHAIMI
Institute for Advanced Studies, Universiti Malaya, Kuala Lumpur 50603, Malaysia
Microbial-based organic fertilizers have been widely adopted as a ‘healthier’ alternative to agrochemicals. Plant Growth Promoting Fungi (PGPF) such as Trichoderma spp. are capable to promote plant growth and development where the effects are from the outcome of fungal-plant interaction. However, information on the biochemical and molecular level of the complex interaction between the organisms are still unclear. This study is using omics technologies to understand Trichoderma-rice plant interaction. Using metagenomics, we found that the application of the T. asperellum SL2 inoculant on the treated rice plots had no impact on the soil microbes or changing their diversity. Using metabolomics, important secondary metabolites from Trichoderma with antifungal, antibacterial, insecticidal properties were found. Other than that, metabolites related to the improvement of plant growth and metabolites involved in plant-microbe interaction were detected. Using transcriptomics, modulation of different sets of genes were observed such as energy metabolism, water transport, plant growth and development genes and other metabolic pathways within the plant. The usage of omics technologies able to dig a deeper understanding towards complex interaction between T. asperellum SL2 and rice plant.