# Exploring the Potential Applications of _Paecilomyces_ _Iilacinus_ 112
## 4 Discussion  
There is a growing interest in the more efficient operation of fungal endophytes _Paecilomyces_ for beneficial activities in the agricultural domain. Comprehensive reports underline the importance of studies dedicated to _Paecilomyces_ sp., fungi with huge potential  
Figure 7: The influence on tomato plants of treatments with PH obtained from _Paecilomyces_ _liacinus_ cultured on keratin medium. (**a**) Influence on production of biomass (average values). (**b**) Influence on plant height (average values). (**c**) Influence on plant diameter (average values). (**d**) Influence on number of branches per plant (average values). (**e**) Influence on number of plants leaves (average values). Experimental variants: control (A01)—data of plant treated with water; A02—data of plant treated with PH from _P.__liacinus_ cultured on feather medium; A03—data of plant treated with PH from _P.__liacinus_ cultured on wool medium. for development in various applications based on the chemical diversity and biological activity of secondary metabolites secreted [17; 27]. The first aspect studied was the antagonism expressed versus plant pathogens. In general, the biocontrol activity of _Paecilomyces_ is well documented, with the members of the _Paecilomyces_ genus acting through direct mechanisms, parasitism, competition or antibiosis, and indirect, involving plant protection through induced systemic resistance mechanism. There are studies that show the effectiveness of _Paecilomyces_ against different species of phytopathogenic bacteria, such as _Xanthomonas camepstris_[28] and _Pectobacterium carovorum_[29], but mainly against phytopathogenic fungi _Alternaria solani_[30], _Fusarium oxysporum_[31], _Sclerotium rolfsii_[32], _Macrophomina phaseolina, Pythium aphanidermatum, R. solani_, etc. Moreover, many studies are dedicated to biological control against nematodes, especially _Meloidogyne_ spp. [33; 34]. In a recently published comprehensive review, it is argued that the taxonomic study on _Paecilomyces_ sp. as biological control agent against bacteria, phytopathogenic fungi, nematodes, and numerous pests will provide a significant contribution to the obtainment of microbial formulations useful in agriculture [35; 36]. For example, in support of this assertion, an ethanol extract of the endophytic fungus _Paecilomyces variotti_ (trade name ZhiNengCong (ZNC)) was presented as an efficient biocontrol agent [37]. In the present study, the criterion for the selection of the pathogenic was their aggressiveness and notoriety. Hence, _F. graminearum_[38], _B. allii_[39], and _R. solani_[40] are known to be pathogenic fungi causing diseases in a large number of economically important plants. In addition, _Cladosporium_ sp. [41] and _Alternaria alternata_[42] from The Microbial Collection of Biotechnology Department from National Institute of Chemistry and Petrichemistry R&D ICECHIM of Bucharest present characteristics and behavior of pathogens, infecting the aerial parts of plants. In our study, the highest antagonistic activity of _Paecilomyces__liacimus_ 112 was expressed against the _Cladosporium_ T2 isolate. It is known that _Cladosporioides_ are widely distributed, infecting fruits (mandarin, cantaloupe, pomegranate) and vegetables (especially tomato) [43], causing economic losses in agricultural crops. Taking into account all these possible damages produced by the _Cladosporium_ genus, it can be underlined that _Paecilomyces__liacimus_ 112 can be useful as a biocontrol agent of the _Cladosporium_ pathogen. In addition, we have obtained a 52.53% inhibition of _R. solani_, which can be considered a better result compared with other _Paecilomyces_ strains, such as _P. marquandiiii_, _Paecilomyces_ sp. _AE-3_, and _Paecilomyces__sulphurellus_, which produced inhibition levels of 39%, 50%, and 21%, respectively [44]. [PERSON] et al. [37] demonstrated the high capacity of _P.