molecular diversity analysis and antagonistic potential of plant growth promoting microorganisms for the management of emerging dry root rot of chickpea caused by rhizoctonia bataticola taub butler

Abstract

Chickpea (Cicer arietinum) is a high protein annual legume of the family Fabaceae. newlineDry root rot is emerged as potential threat to chickpea production. One hundred and twenty newlinesix PGPMs were successfully isolated from the samples collected from eleven districts. newlineAmong them, seventy isolates were endophytic (40 fungal and 30 bacterial PGPMs) and fifty newlinesix isolates were rhizospheric (26 fungal and 30 bacterial PGPMs). All the fungal and newlinebacterial PGPMs varied with respect to cultural characteristics. Among them, eight newlineendophytic fungi and bacteria each, three rhizospheric fungal and nine rhizospheric bacterial newlinePGPMs were considered as potential for inhibition of R. bataticola. All the twenty eight newlinepotential PGPMs produced IAA and ammonium, eleven PGPMs produced siderophore, newlinetwenty one isolates exhibited phosphate solubilization and twenty two isolates produced newlineHCN which are growth promoting traits for chickpea development. From molecular newlinecharacterization, eight potential fungal endophytic PGPMs were identified as Fusarium newlinesulawesiense, F. incarnatum, F. nygamai, F. equeseti, F. proliferatum, Aspergillus nidulans, newlineTrichoderma asperellum. Rhizospheric fungal PGPMs were identified as Trichoderma newlineasperelloides, T. asperellum and T. harzianum. Bacillus tropicus, Bacillus pacificus, Bacillus newlinecereus, Bacillus subtilis were identified as bacterial endophytes. Bacillus cereus, Bacillus newlinevelezensis, Bacillus subtilis and Bacillus subtilis sub sp. subtilis were identified as newlinerhizospheric bacterial PGPMs. GC-MS/MS analysis of ethyl acetate extract of T. asperellum newlineand T. harzianum showed the presence of 13 and 20 bio-active compounds, respectively. newlineHowever, Bacillus subtilis and B. velezensis showed 9 and 11 bio-active compounds. In pot newlineand field experiment, the treatment combination (Seed treatment with Trichoderma newlineasperellum at 10 g/kg seed followed by soil application of enriched vermicompost with newlineTrichoderma asperellum at 2.5 kg/100 kg per acre at sowing followed by foliar application of newlineTrichoderma asperellum at 10 g/l and B