Dual Function of Chaetomium globosum CGSR13: Antifungal Agent Against Wilt Caused by Fusarium sacchari and Promoter of Sugarcane Growth

Abstract

Sugarcane wilt caused by Fusarium sacchari is a destructive and widespread disease globally. In the present era of intensive agriculture system, huge quantities of fungicides are being applied to manage diseases to get high crop yields. However, these fungicides have many non-target effects. For sustainable agriculture, there is a need for eco-friendly methods of growth promotion and crop protection. In this context, a total of 30 endophyte Chaetomium globosum isolates were isolated and evaluated for their antifungal potential against sugarcane wilt caused by Fusarium sacchari. The isolates of C. globosum showed large variations in colony colour, growth rate, colony diameter, ascospore shape, sporulation of F. sacchari time, and ascomata hairs. The most promising CGSR13 strain inhibited colony diameter, spore germination, and sporulation by 66.39, 55.17, and 75.00, respectively. The collective sett and soil treatment with CGSR13 showed 60.09 and 46.37% inhibition in wilt (F. sacchari) under greenhouse and field conditions during the 2022–2023 and 2023–2024 crop seasons. Apart from that, soil application and spraying also reduced the disease incidence. Also there was an increase in sett germination (14.49%), fresh shoot weight (6.47%), dry shoot weight (3.09%), FSW/DSW (3.44%), cane diameter (5.77%), fresh root weight (23.62%), dry root weight (44.44%), FRW/DRW (27.09%), internodes length (20.83%), number of internodes (35.52%), cane length (48.90%), and cane weight (68.79%) in CGSR13 treated F. sacchari infected plants than untreated control under field conditions. The liquid chromatography–mass spectrometry (LC–MS) results showed that the methanolic extract of C. globosum CGSR13 contains plant growth regulator melatonin, cysteine, formononetin, and antagonistic scoulerine and sarsasapogenin.