Antagonistic and growth-promoting potential of multifarious bacterial endophytes against Fusarium wilt of chickpea

Abstract

Background Chickpea is the most important legume crop in India, and its productivity is significantly lowered due to biotic constraints such as wilt caused by Fusarium oxysporum f. sp. ciceris. Endophytes help plants to thrive better under stress conditions by regulating plant hormones and inducing systemic resistance. The aim of the present study was to identify chickpea root bacterial endophytes having antagonistic ability for the management of the Fusarium wilt. Results Twenty endophytic bacterial strains were isolated from the susceptible and resistant chickpea cultivar, amongst which 35% bacterial endophytes gave positive results for siderophore and 15% isolates were HCN producers, whereas 55% showed good growth on ACC-supplemented medium. Based upon 16S rRNA phylogenetic analysis, efficient endophytic bacterial isolates CRBE1, CRBE3 and CRBE7 were identified as Priestia megaterium, Brucella haematophila and Microbacterium paraoxydans, respectively. Bacterial endophyte CRBE7 and CRBE3 showed pronounced antagonistic activity against Fusarium oxysporum f. sp. ciceris under in vitro conditions. Inoculation of chickpea with isolated bacterial endophytes alone and in combination through seed priming resulted in significant biocontrol activity against Fusarium wilt of chickpea under screenhouse conditions. Biopriming of chickpea seeds alone with CRBE3 and as consortium of CRBE3 + CRBE7 upsurged the phenol content in susceptible and resistant chickpea varieties JG 62 and HC 3, which indicated the role of promising endophytes as potential bio-agents under in vivo conditions. Conclusions Chickpea root bacterial endophytes Priestia megaterium (CRBE1), Brucella haematophila (CRBE3) and Microbacterium paraoxydans (CRBE7) exhibiting antagonistic activity could be incorporated in integrated disease management module against Fusarium wilt of chickpea.

Isolation and Characterization of Plant-Growth-Promoting, Drought-Tolerant Rhizobacteria for Improved Maize Productivity

“…Niu et al [62] and Danish et al [6] had demonstrated earlier the induction of drought tolerance in plants using rhizosphere microbes. The observed increase in the maize seed germination rate was consistent with earlier reports, which support the use of microbial agents, singularly or combined with other agents, to mediate physiological changes and improve crop growth [66,67].…”

Endophytic bacteria from diseased plant leaves as potential biocontrol agents of cucumber Fusarium wilt

“…In this study, we focused on antagonistic bacteria inside the leaves of diseased plants. In fact, many studies have focused on the biocontrol antagonists isolated from healthy plants [31,32], but few on those from diseased leaf parts. Therefore, it is of great interest to isolate cultivable antagonistic bacteria from diseased plants.…”

Diversity and Exploration of Endophytic Bacilli for the Management of Head Scab (Fusarium graminearum) of Wheat

“…It also supports the plant by making iron easily available for various biological processes operating inside the plant system. Numerous recent studies reported siderophore production as the most common trait in bacterial endophytes associated with plants [ 69 , 70 , 71 , 72 ]. Apart from plant growth promoting traits, another mechanism that bacterial endophytes employ to combat fungal plant pathogens is the synthesis of extracellular hydrolytic enzymes [ 73 ].…”