Journal of Plant Pathology & Microbiology

Abstract

Consortial Effect of Endophytic and Plant Growth Promoting Rhizobacteria for the Management of Early Blight of Tomato Incited by Alternaria Solani

Subramaniam Sundaramoorthy and Ponnusamy Balabaskar

Tomato, early blight caused by Alternaria solani has been known to cause severe yield losses. Hence, attempts were made to develop an effective ecofriendly strategy to manage the disease using endophytic and plant growth promoting rhizobacteria. Accordingly, the strains of Bacillus subtilis (EPCO16 and EPC5) and Pseudomonas fluorescens (Pf, Py15 and Fp7) were tested individually and in combination for their effectiveness against early blight of tomato incited by A. solani under in vitro and pot culture conditions. The results revealed that the strains of Bacillus subtilis and Pseudomonas fluorescens were compatible. Under in vitro conditions the combined application of EPCO16+Pf1 was found to effectively inhibit the mycelial growth of the pathogen and promote the growth of tomato
seedlings when compared to application of individual strains of the antagonists. Further, a significant reduction in early blight incidence of tomato under greenhouse conditions was observed due to the combined application of EPCO16+Pf1. These findings suggest that synergistic consortia of biocontrol agents may be successfully employed as an eco-friendly strategy for the management of early blight of tomato.