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Marine Bacillus subtilis as an effective biocontrol agent against Fusarium oxysporum f. sp. ciceris

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Abstract

The chickpea is one of India's most protein-rich and low-input crops, yet it is plagued by a large number of soil-borne diseases. Fusarium wilt, which is brought on by Fusarium oxysporum f. sp. ciceris (FOC), can happen at any stage, from germination to fruiting, and it can drastically lower productivity. The purpose of this study was to ascertain the marine Bacillus subtilis's ability to serve as a biocontrol agent, and to examine its in vitro and in vivo impact on several vegetative parameters both in the presence and absence of pathogen FOC. Bacillus subtilis showed production of glucanase and effectively inhibited FOC in vitro. Bacillus subtilis was used to prepare a talc-based bio-formulation, and pot trials were conducted under three different conditions: control (T1), FOC treated (T2), and both Bacillus and FOC treated (T3). T3 showed 7.08% increase in plant weight whereas 1.20% increase in plant height in pot trials. Thus, it was able to improve plant growth despite presence of pathogen. Disease index was reduced from 3.2, without B. subtilis to zero in presence of B. subtilis. Additionally, it assisted in boosting several plant defense enzymes. It was also found to increase soil nitrogen, potassium and phosphate concentration as BS 90 is an ammonia producer and potassium and phosphate solubilizer. According to the findings, B. subtilis demonstrated bio-control abilities with inhibitory impact against FOC, protecting chickpea from disease.

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Data availability

The datasets generated during and/or analyzed during the current study are available from the corresponding author on reasonable request.

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Acknowledgements

The authors are thankful to P.D. Patel Institute of Applied Sciences and CHARUSAT for providing the lab facilities and financial support. Authors are also thankful to Mr. Umesh Makwana for providing land for field trials. And SICART analysis centre, Vidyanagar for carrying out CHN analysis.

Funding

K. Rathod is thankful to CHARUSAT and SHODH for providing doctorate fellowship.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Biotechnology, P D Patel Institute of Applied Sciences, Charotar University of Science and Technology, Anand, Gujarat, India

    Khushbu Rathod, Shruti Rana & Janki N. Thakker

  2. Department of Microbiology, School of Science and Technology, Vanita Vishram Women’s University, Surat, Gujarat, India

    Pinakin Dhandhukia

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  1. Khushbu Rathod
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  2. Shruti Rana
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Rathod, K., Rana, S., Dhandhukia, P. et al. Marine Bacillus subtilis as an effective biocontrol agent against Fusarium oxysporum f. sp. ciceris. Eur J Plant Pathol 167, 759–770 (2023). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10658-023-02720-0

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