At the same time, we also found that thph2 could affect the colonization of T. harzianum in plant roots through two stages of interaction: in the early stage, Trichoderma inhibited the defense gene expression of maize roots, allowing Trichoderma to achieve fast colonization inside the root tissue, and in the second stage, thph2 shifted its function to elicit maize root defense against pathogen infections. Here, F5 is linked to infection.