Rhizobacteria as a Biocontrol Agent Against Soil Borne Fungal Pathogen Macrophomina phaseolina

Author: Aditi Mathur, Chirag Gautam, Mamta Beniwal, Smriti Akodia and Brijesh Yadav

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Abstract

Rhizobacteria play a crucial role in the growth of plants, either directly or indirectly. Rhizobacteria promote plant growth through Nitrogen fixation, nutrient supply, phytohormone synthesis, and mineral solubilization, while also acting as biocontrol agents by inhibiting pathogen growth. Rhizobacteria are widely used as biocontrol agents for fungal pathogen control due to their multiple utility as antifungal, antinematode, and plant growth promoting agents. One of the organisms that promotes plant growth and acts as an antagonist against soil-borne diseases is rhizobacteria. The severity of root rot is reported maximum in pulse crops. Macrophomina root rot causes subsequent reduction in plant growth. Rhizobacteria is being used in present research as a biocontrol agent to reduce the growth of soil borne fungal pathogen Macrophomina phaseolina. At the Agriculture Research Station in Ummedganj, Kota, and the College of Agriculture in Kota, soil samples and root samplings of chickpea rhizospheric soil were randomly selected from a wide range of locations. Ten isolates in total were taken from various soil samples taken from various research regions both before and after flowering. On nutritional agar, rhizobacteria were isolated. The biochemical characterisation of rhizobacterial isolates led to their classification as PR 1 through PR 10. The severity of Macrophomina root rot in chickpea was significantly reduced in vitro. According to the research, there is a way to lessen Macrophomina root rot by using dual culture techniques by using rhizobacteria that are hostile to M. phaseolina characterisation

Keywords

Rhizobacteria, biocontrol, Macrophomina phaseolina

Conclusion

The rhizobacterial isolates showed different percent growth inhibition i.e., PR 1 (12.66%), PR 2( 14.66%), PR 3(16.44%), PR 4(13.33%), PR 5(11.11%), PR 6(10.33%), PR 7(13.11%), PR 8(9.22%), PR 9 (13.33%) and PR 10(12.66%). Although maximum growth inhibition was found with PR 3 (16.44%) while minimum growth inhibition was found with PR 8 (1.22%). In conclusion, the study demonstrated that none of the rhizobacterial isolates were able to fully inhibit the growth of Macrophomina phaseolina. The isolates exhibited varying levels of growth inhibition, with PR 3 showing the highest inhibition at 16.44% and PR 8 showing the lowest at 9.22%. Despite these variations, all isolates had limited effectiveness in controlling the pathogen. These findings suggest that while certain rhizobacterial strains have some potential for managing Macrophomina phaseolina, their overall impact is modest and further research is needed to enhance their efficacy or explore alternative biocontrol strategies

References

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How to cite this article

Aditi Mathur, Chirag Gautam, Mamta Beniwal, Smriti Akodia and Brijesh Yadav (2024). Rhizobacteria as a Biocontrol Agent Against Soil Borne Fungal Pathogen Macrophomina phaseolina. Biological Forum – An International Journal, 16(7): 330-332.