Abstracto

Evaluation of rhizobacterial isolates for their biocontrol potential of seed borne fungal pathogens of Jatropha curcas L.

Meenu Saraf, Urja Pandya, Aarti Thakkar, Palak Patel

Seeds attacked by soil borne fungal pathogens are responsible for decrease in germination rate, plant growth and result in losses in yield. The present study aimed to identify fungi associated with Jatropha curcas seeds and biocontrol of these pathogens by PGPR strains with their indirect mechanisms. Four fungal species namely Fusarium oxysporum, Macrophomina phaseolina, Aspergillus versicolor and Aspergillus nidulance were isolated from Jatropha seeds. Ten strains of PGPR isolated from rhizosphere of agricultural crops were studied for their antagonistic activity against seed borne fungal pathogens of Jatropha curcas L. After 5 days of incubation, both MSC1 (Pseudomonas putida) and MSC4 (Pseudomonas pseudoalcaligens) inhibited the growth of M. phaseolina by 90 and 45% respectively. Both the strains showed maximum lytic enzymes production under normal growth conditions. Results revealed that MSC1 and MSC4 treated Jatropha curcas offered 29% and 32% disease reductions of M. phaseolina respectively over the infected control.