SKUAST Journal of Research

The persistent and rampant use of agricultural pesticides in crop production systems is increasing, making these food products harmful to human consumption. Therefore, the use of different bioagents is being encouraged in the farming system. However, these microbiomes do not provide benefits to humans and can be hazardous to human health if present in /on agricultural produce. Hence, a beneficial lowcost input for plant protection is important in the farming system. Lactic Acid Bacteria (LAB), a known human gut microbe consumed in the form of curd, is explored as a low-cost input for fungal plant disease management and the in vitro evaluation of LAB against Alternaria solani, a fungal leaf blight pathogen of tomato indicated that there was 100 per cent inhibition of fungal spore germination in the LAB rich environment. In vivo evaluation indicated that on the tomato leaf surface, the germ tube of the germinating Alternaria spore was colonized by LAB and such germ tubes were unable to penetrate the tomato leaf cells to cause infection. Similarly, in vitro evaluation of LAB against a tomato wilt pathogen Fusarium oxysporum f. sp. lycopersicon indicated that there was no conidial germination of the wilt pathogen. Further, in vivo evaluation of LAB against Fusarium in the soil prevents tomato wilt occurrence. Thus, the soil application and spraying of LAB against wilt pathogen in the soil rhizosphere and leaf blight pathogen in the tomato phyllosphere respectively indicated the efficacy of LAB as a potential biocontrol agent. The homemade curd having LAB is the cheapest biocontrol input to be explored in other high-value crops and in organic agricultural crop production systems.