Selection of compost-derived actinomycetes with plant-growth promoting and tomato stem rot biocontrol potentialities
Abstract
Seventeen actinomycetes isolates, recovered from 2 composts, were screened for their ability to promote the growth of tomato seedlings and to suppress stem rot disease caused by Sclerotium rolfsii. Tomato cv. Rio Grande seedlings inoculated with S. rolfsii and treated with A2-3, A3-3, A4-3, A5-3, A8-3, A9-3, A1-4, A2-4, A3-4, A4-4, A6-4, and A10-4 actinobacterial isolates showed 23.3-70% less disease severity than the inoculated and untreated controls. A3-3, A2-4, and A4-4 based treatments applied to S. rolfsii-infected tomato seedlings had significantly enhanced all growth parameters as compared to control. The recorded increments were estimated at 35.52-66.6% for height, 37.4-53.4% for the stem diameter, 38.5-95.6% for the aerial part dry weight, and 81.8-151% for the root dry weight. Treatments with A3-3 and A4-4 isolates had increased the majority of tomato growth parameters by 15.8-56.5% over the pathogen-free control. Tomato seedlings treated with A4-3 and A1-4 isolates showed between 35.2-22.8% and 42.3-43.3% higher aerial part dry weight and root dry weight, respectively, as compared to pathogen-free and untreated control. This investigation demonstrated that the tested composts can be explored as potential sources for the isolation of actinomycetes acting as biocontrol and bio-fertilizing agents.References
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