The possibility of using biological control agents to reduce maize root rot caused by Fusarium verticillioides
2003
Srobarova, A.,Slovak Academy of Sciences, Bratislava (Slovak Republic). Institute of Botany | Nadubinska, M. | Eged, S. | Altomare, C.,Institute of Sciences of Food Production, Bari (Italy) | Kogan, G.,Slovak Academy of Sciences, Bratislava (Slovak Republic). Institute of Chemistry
The search for biocontrol of patogenous fungus is currently a priority task in science. A strain of the antagonistic fungus Trichoderma spp. and a derivative of a microbial polysaccharide, sulfoethyl glucan (SEG) isolated from the cell walls of baker's yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae, were studied as potential control agents of Fusarium verticillioides. Productivity parameters, chlorophyll synthase and fusaric acid concentration after artificial infection of roots were evaluated. After 7 days, both agents reduced the concentration of fusaric acid (FA) up to 50% in seedlings artificially inoculated with F. verticillioides. Both Trichoderma spp. and SEG were able to increase productivity parameters of maize seedlings in non artificially infested plants. In the latter case, Trichoderma was also capable of reducing disease severity (DS) and increasing productivity parameters, while SEG does not decrease DS. Disease severity was correlated with (FA) concentration only after the first evaluation (7 days), but not in all the variants. Chlorophyll concentration was at the level of control when seedlings were treated with Trichoderma and SEG. Infection with Fusarium decreased chlorophyll concentration up to 25% in comparison to the control. However, both the control agents reduced the decrease of chlorophyll content in Fusarium-infected plants.
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