Bioefficacy of Native Plant Growth Promoting Rhizobacteria against Meloidogyne incognita and Phytophthora capsici Disease Complex in Betelvine

In a survey conducted in major betelvine growing districts of Tamil Nadu, sixty five Plant Growth Promoting Rhizobacteria (PGPR) accessions were isolated (50 Pseudomonas spp. – Pfbv; 1 Bacillus spp. – Bbv and 14 other rhizobacteria) from betelvine rhizosphere in the districts of Tiruchirapalli, Namakkal, Coimbatore, Karur, Erode and Tuticorin. Among the PGPR isolates, the isolates viz., Pfbv 22, Bbv 57 and Pf 1 were found to induce plant growth in rice as assessed by roll towel and pot culture studies and also effectively reduced the growth of Phytophthora capsici. The culture filtrates of Pfbv 22 showed significantly higher ovicidal and larvicidal action on Meloidogyne incognita eggs and juveniles, respectively, followed by Bbv 57 and Pf 1. The promising isolates were formulated in talc-base and tested against M. incognita and P. capsici disease complex in betelvine under glass house conditions. The combination treatment of Pfbv 22 + Bbv 57 recorded the highest growth parameters viz., plant height, number of leaves and the lowest nematode population and wilt incidence. The treatment was comparable with metalaxyl + carbofuran.