Effect of Plant Growth Promoting Microorganisms on Fungi Associated With Seedling Diseases in Groundnut

Management of groundnut seedling disease caused by Aspergillus niger and Rhizoctonia bataticola using plant growth promoting microorganisms viz., Trichoderma sp. and Fluorescent pseudomonads was investigated. Trichoderma sp. and fluorescent pseudomonads isolated from the rhizospshere of groundnut showed suppression of the plant pathogens Aspergillus niger and Rhizoctonia bataticola. Both native isolates of Trichoderma sp. and fluorescent pseudomonad isolate 1 effectively restricted the radial growth of Aspergillus niger by 72.05% and 63.67% and Rhizoctonia bataticola by 69.92% and 67.31% respectively. In green house studies, talc based formulations of potential Trichoderma sp. andfluorescentpseudomonad isolate 1 effectively suppressed the seedling disease complex and population levels of test pathogens and improved the plant growth, shoot and root dry weight and pod yield.