In-vivo and in-vitro approaches to show the effectiveness of PGPR strains in controlling fusarial diseases of potato

Fusarium spp. accounts for causal enormous losses to potato crop. Fusarial pathogenes are soil-borne as well as seed borne and require management of causal organisms. Role of soil micro-organism in exerting disease control was realised long back in the form of Fusarium-suppressive soils in nature. Suppressive soils harboured several plant growth promoting pseudomonads which produce siderophores. Plant associated bacteria reside in the rhizosphere, phyllosphere, and inside tissue of healthy plants. Taking this into account the present research work has been carried out taking two PGPR strains D-2 and M-11 in controlling Fusarial disease of potato in vitro as well as in vivo. In the present communication, therefore role of PGPRs for this purpose has been exposed and was found that Bacillus spp. were effective against in vivo and in vitro testing.