Plant growth promoting rhizobacteria (PGPR) induces resistance against Fusarium wilt and improves lycopene content and texture in tomato

Abstract

Plant growth promoting Bacillus subtilis (BS2) was found effective against tomato wilt caused by Fusarium oxysporum f sp. lycopersici under field conditions. Pretreatment of tomato plants with B. subtilis BS2 significantly induced the activities of defense related enzymes viz., peroxidase, polyphenol oxidase, chitinase and phenylalanine ammonialyase and phenolics when challenged with the pathogen. Apart from disease control, BS2 improved the fruit quality with high lycopene (76.30 mg/kg against control, 40.34 mg/kg) and texture (90.5 Fmax against control, 56.35 Fmax) during harvest and even 15 days after harvest, similar trend was maintained unequivocally indicating that plant growth promoting rhizobacteria (PGPR) can improve the nutritional quality as well as shelf life of the fruits.   Key words: Plant growth promotion, plant growth promoting rhizobacteria (PGPR), defense enzymes, lycopene, fruit texture.