Screening and Characterization of Plant Growth Promoting Endophytic Microbes of Tomato (Solanum lycopersicum L.) combats Pythium aphanidermatum

Abstract

About 45 bacteria, 9 fungi, 3 yeast, and 1 actinobacterium were isolated from plant tissues of tomato and screened for their plant growthpromoting traits and antagonistic activity against damping-off fungus Pythium aphanidermatum. The bacterial isolate, Bacillus pumilus TEB10 exhibited pathogen inhibition of about 55 and 79%, while yeast isolate Candida tropicalis TEY1 showed 30 and 68% in the dual plate and inverted plate assay, respectively. In addition, the Bacillus pumilus TB10 showed siderophore, HCN, cellulase, and phosphate solubilization activities. Similarly, yeast isolate Candida tropicalis TEY1 exhibited catalase, phosphate, and zinc solubilization activities. The sterol biosynthesis pathway end product ergosterol was profiled in secondary metabolites of P. aphanidermatum, suggesting the potentiality of this pathogenesis.