S.41. Induction of resistance in Capsicum annum against Cucumber mosaic virus by plant growth promoting rhizobacteria
Abstract
Studies were done to evaluate two specific strains of plant growth promoting rhizobacteria (PGPR) for induced systemic resistance (ISR) against Cucumber mosaic virus (CMV) in Capsicum annum (chili), based on superior performance in the green house. In the greenhouse trials, PGPR treated plants were challenged by mechanical inoculation with CMV. For the initial screening experiment, ten of the best PGPR strains were selected for evaluation. The range in the percentage of plants exhibiting CMV symptoms after 10 days of inoculation was 45–60% compared to 100% of plants with symptoms in the control plants inoculated with CMV, but not treated with PGPR. In the second series of green house experiments to evaluate ten PGPR strains, treatment with six PGPR strains resulted in 25- 35% of plants with symptoms, compared to 90% of control plants with symptoms. Finally, in the third set of green house experiments, two of the six PGPR strains were chosen for further evaluation in the field experiments. The percentage of plants with CMV symptoms in the two PGPR treatments ranged from 12–18%, compared with 75.8% of symptoms in control plants. These data showed that treatment of chili plants with these two strains of PGPR strains resulted in significant enhancement of growth and protection against infection by CMV.
