In-vitro inhibition of growth of some seedling blight inducing pathogens by compost-inhabiting microbes

Abstract

Compost-inhabiting bacteria were studied for their effect on seedling blight inducing pathogens. Aspergillus niger, Trichoderma harzianum, Bacillus cereus and Bacillus subtilis were the microbes found associated with cow dung, sawdust and rice husk composted soils. Sclerotium rolfsii, Fusarium oxysporum, Pythium aphanidermatum and Macrophomina phaseolina were isolated from blighted seedlings of Cowpea, while S. rolfsii, P. aphanidermatum, Helminthosporium maydis and Rhizoctonia solani were isolated from blighted maize seedlings. When these compost-inhabiting microbes were paired with the seedling blight inducing pathogens, T. harzianum grew on the mycelia of all the test fungal pathogens. B. cereus reduced the mycelia growth of Sclerotium rolfsii, F. oxysporum, P. aphanidermatum, H. maydis and R. solani, with inhibitory zones ranging from 35.5% to 53.3%. B. subtilis in culture also inhibited the mycelia growth of all tested pathogenic fungi with inhibitory zones of between 40.0% to 57.8%. The inhibitory activities of the compost-inhabiting microbes might partly be responsible for the efficacy of compost in reducing seedling blight diseases of crops.

Decoding multifarious role of cow dung bacteria in mobilization of zinc fractions along with growth promotion of C. annuum L.

“…But, its direct application is unsuitable for soil nutrient profile. Besides, consisting minerals, fibers and crude protein, cow dung also consist of beneficial microflora, predominantly bacilli, lactobacilli, cocci and some identified and unidentified fungus and yeast as reported by Muhammad and Amusa 20 . However, exploitation of microflora from cow dung for plant growth enhancement and phosphate solubilization 21 , cellulase producing bacteria 22,23 , enzymatic activities 24 , methanogenic bacteria 25 , antibiotic resistant strains 26 , antibiotic susceptibility 27 and ammonia producing bacteria are well reported 28 .…”

Bacillus megaterium Strain CDK25, a Novel Plant Growth Promoting Bacterium Enhances Proximate Chemical and Nutritional Composition of Capsicum annuum L

“…Cow dung is being practiced since ancient times, the addition of which increases soil mineral status along with enhanced plant growth. Cow dung consists of several minerals, fibers, and crude protein besides consisting beneficial microorganisms viz., bacilli, cocci, lactobacilli, fungus, and yeast (Muhammad and Amusa, 2003). Unfortunately, limited attention has been paid by researchers on cow dung bacteria in mediating soil nutrients' cycle.…”

Effective chemical protection against the maize late wilt causal agent, Harpophora maydis, in the field

“…Hence, the need to control this pathogen efficiently has become increasingly important in both commercial grain production and maize seed production. Indeed, some agricultural (balanced soil fertility and flood-fallowing) [2, 20], biological [21–25], physical (solar heating) [26], allelochemical [9] and chemical options [10, 27, 28] have promising potential to reduce the pathogen’s impact on commercial production. However, according to data from the Israeli Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development (Consultation Service, Shaham), none of these methods are currently being used in Israel.…”