PJB-2019-990
ANALYSIS OF BIOCONTROL POTENTIAL OF ENDOPHYTIC BACTERIA AGAINST FUNGAL PHYTOPATHOGENS
Wajeeha Hamid
Abstract
Use of agrochemicals for crop protection from phytopathogens causes undesirable consequences to human health. Alternatively, biological control is more reliable method. Endophytic bacteria develop beneficial associations with plants, providing numerous benefits to them. In the present work, endophytic Pantoea vagans MOSEL-t13, Paenibacillus MOSEL-w13, Serratia marcescens MOSEL-w2, Enterobacter cloacae MOSEL-w7 and Burkholderia phytofirman PsJN were analyzed for their antifungal effects against Aspergillus niger and Aspergillis flavus, phytopathogens of wheat and maize. First, antagonistic effects of these bacteria against fungi were confirmed using dual culture assay. Then, bacterial effects on maize and wheat were determined using gnotobiotic root elongation assay. Serratia marcescens MOSEL-w2 and Pantoea vagans MOSEL-t13 significantly increased the root lengths of maize seedlings and Pantoea vagans MOSEL-t13 significantly increased the root lengths of wheat seedlings. When treated with fungi only, maize and wheat seeds either failed to grow or showed poor growth compared to untreated plants in root elongation assay. When combined bacterial and fungal effects were compared to the plants treated with fungi only, it was observed that Serratia marcescens MOSEL-w2 and Pantoea vagans MOSEL-t13 inhibited Aspergillus niger adverse effects and significantly increased root lengths of maize seedlings, while only Pantoea vagans MOSEL-t13 inhibited Aspergillus niger effects and significantly increased the root lengths of wheat seedlings. These results indicate that Serratia marcescens MOSEL-w2 and Pantoea vagans MOSEL-t13 can be exploited as biopesticides to protect wheat and maize from fungal pathogens.
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