Effects of microbial symbiont on growth and pathogenic defense of selected plants

Abstract

This work was initiated to study the effects of Piriformospora indica on growth of soybean and turmeric. It was also studied for pathogenic defenses of plants from soybean cyst nematode and root knot nematode. P. indica promoted the growth of soybean in pot trials and turmeric in fields. The total RNA isolation from soybean roots and its expression revealed that the fungus up-regulated the lignin biosynthesis and down- regulated the genes for heat and drought resistance. P. indica antagonized the egg density of soybean cyst nematode. The juveniles and eggs of root knot nematodes decreased with the higher concentration of culture filtrate and solvent extract of P. indica. newline