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Plant defense activation and management of tomato root rot by a chitin-fortified Trichoderma/Hypocrea formulation

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Abstract

Tomato root rot caused by Rhizoctonia solani is a major soilborne disease resulting in significant yield loss. The culture filtrates of six isolates of Trichoderma/Hypocrea species were evaluated for in vitro production of hydrolytic enzymes. Results demonstrated that all the six isolates were able to produce chitinase, β-1, 3 glucanase and protease in the range of 76–235 μmol GlcNAc min-1 mg-1 protein, 31.90–37.72 nmol glucose min-1 mg-1 proteins and 63.05–86.22 μmol min-1 mg-1 proteins, respectively. Trichoderma/Hypocrea-based formulation(s) were prepared with chitin (1% v:v) and CMC (0.5% w:v) for root rot management in a greenhouse. Root dip application with bioformulation(s) resulted in a significant reduction of the root rot index. In addition, bioformulations increased plant growth attributing traits significantly relative to untreated control. Accumulation of total phenols, peroxidase, polyphenoloxidase and phenylalanine ammonia lyase increased in chitin-supplemented Trichoderma/Hypocrea formulation-treated plants challenged with R. solani. The results suggest that chitin-fortified bioformulation(s) could be an effective system to control root rot of tomato in an eco-compatible manner.

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Acknowledgment

This work was funded by the Indian Council of Agriculture Research (ICAR) by a network project “Application of Microorganisms in Agriculture and Allied Sectors” (AMAAS). The help of the culture collection unit of NBAIM is highly appreciated for providing cultures for this study.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. National Bureau of Agriculturally Important Microorganisms, Kusmaur, Mau, Uttar Pradesh, 275101, India

    Manoj Kumar Solanki, Nidhi Singh, Rajesh Kumar Singh, Pratiksha Singh, Alok K. Srivastava, Sudheer Kumar, Prem L. Kashyap & Dilip K. Arora

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  1. Manoj Kumar Solanki
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  2. Nidhi Singh
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  3. Rajesh Kumar Singh
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  4. Pratiksha Singh
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  7. Prem L. Kashyap
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Correspondence to Dilip K. Arora.

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Solanki, M.K., Singh, N., Singh, R.K. et al. Plant defense activation and management of tomato root rot by a chitin-fortified Trichoderma/Hypocrea formulation. Phytoparasitica 39, 471–481 (2011). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12600-011-0188-y

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