Formulations of synergistic microbial consortia for enhanced systemic resistance against Fusarium wilt in cumin

Devendra Singh; Kuldeep Singh Jadon; Aman Verma; Neelam Geat; Rajneesh Sharma; Kamlesh Kumar Meena; Rajesh Kumar Kakani

doi:10.1007/s10123-024-00553-3

Formulations of synergistic microbial consortia for enhanced systemic resistance against Fusarium wilt in cumin

Int Microbiol. 2024 Jul 18. doi: 10.1007/s10123-024-00553-3. Online ahead of print.

Authors

Devendra Singh¹, Kuldeep Singh Jadon², Aman Verma², Neelam Geat³, Rajneesh Sharma², Kamlesh Kumar Meena⁴, Rajesh Kumar Kakani²

Affiliations

¹ Division of Pant Improvement and Pest Management, ICAR-Central Arid Zone Research Institute, Jodhpur, 342003, Rajasthan, India. devendraiari@gmail.com.
² Division of Pant Improvement and Pest Management, ICAR-Central Arid Zone Research Institute, Jodhpur, 342003, Rajasthan, India.
³ Department of Plant Pathology, Agricultural Research Station, Mandor, Agriculture University Jodhpur, Jodhpur, 342304, India.
⁴ Division of Integrated Farming Systems, ICAR-Central Arid Zone Research Institute, Jodhpur, 342003, Rajasthan, India.

PMID: 39020234
DOI: 10.1007/s10123-024-00553-3

Abstract

The study aimed to understand the dynamic interplay between plants and their associated microbes to develop an efficient microbial consortium for managing Fusarium wilt of cumin. A total of 601 rhizospheric and endophytic bacteria and fungi were screened for antagonistic activity against Fusarium oxysporum f.sp. cumini (Foc). Subsequently, ten bacteria and ten fungi were selected for characterizing their growth promotion traits and ability to withstand abiotic stress. Furthermore, a pot experiment was conducted to evaluate the bioefficacy of promising biocontrol isolates-1F, 16B, 31B, and 223B in mono and consortium mode, focusing on disease severity, plant growth, and defense responses in cumin challenged with Foc. Promising isolates were identified as Trichoderma atrobruneum 15F, Pseudomonas sp. 2B, Bacillus amyloliquefaciens 9B, and Bacillus velezensis 32B. In planta, results revealed that cumin plants treated with consortia of 15F, 2B, 9B, and 32B showed highest percent disease control (76.35%) in pot experiment. Consortia of biocontrol agents significantly enhanced production of secondary metabolites and activation of antioxidant-defense enzymes compared to individual strain. Moreover, consortium treatments effectively reduced electrolyte leakage over the individual strain and positive control. The four-microbe consortium significantly enhanced chlorophyll (~ 2.74-fold), carotenoid content (~ 2.14-fold), plant height (~ 1.8-fold), dry weight (~ 1.96-fold), and seed yield (~ 19-fold) compared to positive control in pot experiment. Similarly, four microbe consortia showed highest percent disease control (72.2%) over the positive control in field trial. Moreover, plant growth, biomass, yield, and yield attributes of cumin were also significantly increased in field trial over the positive control as well as negative control.

Keywords: Fusarium oxysporum f.sp. cumini; Antioxidant-defense enzymes; Biocontrol; Carotenoid; Consortium; Secondary metabolites.