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Inhibition of the collar rot fungus, Sclerotium rolfsii Sacc. by an endophytic fungus Alternaria sp.: implications for biocontrol

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Abstract

Sclerotium rolfsii is a necrotrophic, soil-borne pathogenic fungus responsible for serious crop losses worldwide. It is one of the major phytopathogens infecting chilli and causes yield losses ranging from 16 to 80%. Among the various approaches to manage S. rolfsii, biological control is an environmentally acceptable alternative over other chemical methods. In this study, 120 endophytic fungal isolates obtained from a medicinal plant, Nothapodytes nimmoniana were evaluated for their in vitro and in vivo antagonism towards S. rolfsii. Among these, one isolate, Alternaria sp. exhibited 46.62% inhibition against S. rolfsii in dual culture assay on PDA. The inhibition was found to be mediated by the mycotoxin, tenuazonic acid, produced by the endophyte. Pre-germinated chilli seeds treated with mycelial suspension of Alternaria sp. reduced the seedling mortality due to S. rolfsii infection. Pretreatment with the endophyte also enhanced seedling growth and biomass compared to untreated seedlings under greenhouse conditions. These results suggest that the endophytic fungus, Alternaria sp. has potential implication for use as a biocontrol against S. rolfsii as well as for promoting growth of chilli.

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Acknowledgements

The authors acknowledge the support received from the Department of Biotechnology, Government of India, New Delhi (Chemical Ecology of the North East Region (NER) of India: A collaborative programme Linking NER and Bangalore Researchers; DBT-NER/Agri/24/2013 for carrying out this work. The authors thank the Kerala Forest Department for permission granted to collect the samples of the tree species Nothapodytes nimmoniana. R. Uma Shaanker was partially supported by grants from the ICAR Emeritus Scientist program (ICAR F.NO. 9(16)/2018-ES-HRD).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. School of Ecology and Conservation, University of Agricultural Sciences, GKVK Campus, Bangalore, 560065, India

    P. Rajani, H. Aiswarya, M. M. Vasanthakumari & R. Uma Shaanker

  2. Department of Biotechnology, School of Bio Sciences and Technology, Vellore Institute of Technology, Vellore, Tamilnadu, 632014, India

    P. Rajani & C. Rajasekaran

  3. CSIR - Indian Institute of Integrative Medicine, Canal Road, Jammu, 180001, India

    Shreyans K. Jain & Sandip B. Bharate

  4. Ashoka Trust for Research in Ecology and the Environment, Royal Enclave, Srirampura, Jakkur Post, Bangalore, 560064, India

    G. Ravikanth & R. Uma Shaanker

  5. Department of Crop Physiology, University of Agricultural Sciences, GKVK, Bangalore, 560065, India

    R. Uma Shaanker

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  1. P. Rajani
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Rajani, P., Aiswarya, H., Vasanthakumari, M.M. et al. Inhibition of the collar rot fungus, Sclerotium rolfsii Sacc. by an endophytic fungus Alternaria sp.: implications for biocontrol. Plant Physiol. Rep. 24, 521–532 (2019). https://doi.org/10.1007/s40502-019-00484-6

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