The escalating demand for sustainable and eco-friendly strategies to combat plant pathogenic fungi has fueled the exploration of biocontrol agents. Among the biocontrol agents, Chaetomium globosum has shown promising antagonistic potential against various soil-borne plant pathogens. They are considered to be a rich source of novel and bioactive secondary metabolites of great importance. In this study, we investigated the antagonistic interactions between Chaetomium globosum and Alternaria solani, a notorious fungal pathogen causing early blight disease in potato crops, using dual culture technique. The result revealed that TNAU Cg-6 has recorded the maximum inhibition of 75.22% compared to control. The secondary metabolites are identified using GC-MS technique and 7 beneficial compounds are identified with anti-microbial properties. Harnessing the anti-microbial potential of Chaetomium globosum (TNAU Cg-6) could pave the way for innovative, biologically-based disease management solutions in agriculture, promoting sustainable crop production and safeguarding the environment. Some of the challenges include identifying and characterizing the specific antimicrobial compounds, antimicrobial activity may arise from the synergistic effects of multiple compounds, determining the optimal concentration of the antimicrobial compounds for effective disease control without causing harm to the environment, the crop, or beneficial organisms is essential, ensuring that the antimicrobial compounds target only the pathogen (Alternaria solani) while sparing beneficial microorganisms and non-target organisms is crucial. Before commercial application, any novel antimicrobial compound must go through rigorous testing to meet regulatory standards for safety, efficacy, and environmental impact, developing and producing antimicrobial compounds on a scale that is economically viable for farmers can be challenging. Some of the contributions made by the researchers include, compound identification, mechanism of action, conducting field trials to evaluate the efficacy of the antimicrobial compounds under real-world conditions, etc. Further investigations are warranted to optimize the formulation and application methods for large-scale implementation of this eco-friendly approach in potato cultivation.

Potato, Alternaria solani, Chaetomium globosum (TNAU Cg-6), in vitro screening, GC-MS and Secondary metabolites

The biological management of foliar pathogens has drawn more attention recently as a potential candidate for substituting chemical control. Overall, our findings indicate that TNAU Cg-6 have the potential to serve as effective biocontrol agents against Alternaria solani. This study contributes to the exploration of eco-friendly and sustainable strategies to manage early blight disease in solanaceous crops. Further research on field trials is warranted to assess the practical applicability and long-term efficacy of dual-plate Chaetomium as a biocontrol agent for Alternaria solani in agricultural settings.

Sharnika S., Rajendran L., Karthikeyan G., Vinothkumar B., Raja P., Saravanakumari K. and Durgadevi D. (2023). Deciphering anti-Microbial compounds Produced by Chaetomium globosum (TNAU Cg- 6) against Early Blight (Alternaria solani) in Potato- an Eco-friendly Approach. Biological Forum – An International Journal, 15(8): 389-394.