Effect of Endophytic Treatments on Plant Growth Performance and Disease Incidences in Soybean (Glycine max (L.) Merril) Cultivar JS-335 against Challenge Inoculation with R. solani

Endophytes could be efficient biological control agent in sustainable crop production and offer unique opportunity for crop protection and biological control. Present study was carried out to investigate the effects of indigenous endophytic microorganisms Pseudomonas sp., Bacillus sp., Burkholderia sp. Streptomyces sp., Actinoplanes sp., Alternaria sp. and Fusarium sp. on plant growth and disease control against challenge inoculation with Rhizoctonia solani in soybean (Glycine max (L.) Merril). It was observed that treatment with endophytes significantly (p<0.05) improved the seed germination, root, shoot length, Seedling Vigour Index (SVI), root nodulation in soybean. The significant increments were recorded fresh and dry weight, nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium (NPK) uptake and seed yield (p<0.05). The disease incidences were reduced significantly over control (p<0.05). Thus, present studies indicate that utilization of indigenous endophytes may exert more favorable effects on plant health, disease control which ultimately will enhance crop productivity.