Exploration of Rhizobacteria as Bioagents against Phytophthora Blight and Yield Attributes of Pigeonpea (Cajanus cajan L.): In vitro and In vivo Study
Saroj Bala *
Department of Plant Breeding and Genetics, Punjab Agricultural University, Ludhiana-141001, India.
Rajni Devi
Department of Microbiology, COBS and H, Punjab Agricultural University, Ludhiana-141001, India.
Veena Khanna
Department of Plant Breeding and Genetics, Punjab Agricultural University, Ludhiana-141001, India.
*Author to whom correspondence should be addressed.
Abstract
The latest soil management scenario is occupied by destructive chemical fertilizers, which is a serious risk to both human health as well as to the environment. Advantageous microbes present in soil are used as a biofertilizers for a promising role in sustainable agriculture. Pigeon pea (Cajanus cajan L.) is a primitive protein rich leguminous pulse in India. Thirty-five isolates from rhizospheric soil samples were collected from twelve different locations of Punjab (India). Morphological and biochemical characterization for selection of potential plant growth promoting traits with antifungal properties was undertaken. Most of the inoculated seeds with rhizoisolates evolved a significant increase in growth parameters of pigeon pea as compared to uninoculated seeds, both in vitro and in vivo conditions. Plant growth promoting rhizobacterias (PGPRs) are environmentally safe as they lead to increased production and resistance against diseases of crops.
Keywords: Antagonistic and antifungal, PGPRs, pigeonpea, rhizosphere, sustainable agriculture