Promotion of Growth and Management of Rot Disease of Maize Zea Mays L Caused by Fusarium Moniliforme With Biotic and Abiotic Agents

Abstract

Crop plants are mostly attacked and destroyed by the fungal pathogens. Many synthetic newlinechemicals, such as fungicides, insecticides, and chemical fertilizers, are commonly newlineemployed in agriculture to prevent crop loss due to fungal infection. Due to the harmful newlineimpact of these synthetic chemicals, the agricultural sector must now use sustainable newlinealternatives that are both economically effective and environmentally beneficial. Plant newlinegrowth promoting fungi (PGPF) could be the suitable alternative to the synthetic newlinechemicals which not only restrict the fungal attack but at the same time improve the newlineyield and growth of the crop plants. This thesis aims to identify the fungal pathogens of newlinemaize from the maize cultivating zones of Uttar Dinajpur, West Bengal. Study was also newlinecarried out to explore the fungal diversity of maize rhizosphere. Study also concerned newlinewith the identification of potential plant growth promoting fungi from the rhizosphere newlinewhich could be effective in plant growth promotion and plant protection. newlineDisease identification is one of the important aspects of plant disease management. In newlinethis context, a total of seven fungal diseases associated with maize were detected on the newlinebasis of symptoms appeared. However, based on disease incidence and severity, the rot newlinedisease causing fungal pathogen was thoroughly identified and confirmed as Fusarium newlinemoniliforme at molecular level. The maize rhizospheric soil was collected for the study newlineof physico-chemical parameters and most importantly for isolation of mycoflora. The newlineisolated rhizospheric fungi were identified as Penicillium purpurogenum RGC1, newlinePenicillium citrinum RGK1, Penicillium pinophilum RGA1, Trichoderma asperellum newline(RGH1, RGI1, RGD2, and RGD3), Aspergillus niger (RGP30, RGJ1, RGG1, RGL1) newlineand Trichoderma harzianum CC and they were also screened for plant growth newlineattributes. Study revealed that Trichoderma asperellum isolates were better than rest of newlinethe identified rhizospheric fungi. All the isolates of T. asperellum viz., RGD3, RGD2, newline