Skip to main navigation menu Skip to main content Skip to site footer
Plant Science Today (PST)

Research Articles

Vol. 13 No. sp1 (2026): Recent Advances in Agriculture

Endophytic fungi for plant disease management: Antagonistic potential and molecular characterization

DOI
https://doi.org/10.14719/pst.12250
Submitted
14 October 2025
Published
04-02-2026

Abstract

Browntop millet (Brachiaria ramose L.), a nutritionally rich and climate-resilient minor millet, is increasingly valued in sustainable agriculture; however, its productivity is severely affected by leaf blight caused by Bipolaris setariae. The present study investigated the potential of endophytic fungi associated with Browntop millet as eco-friendly biocontrol agents for managing this disease. A total of 64 endophytic fungal isolates were obtained from healthy plant tissues collected across different agroclimatic zones of Karnataka. Pathogenicity assays confirmed B. setariae as the causal agent of leaf blight. Dual culture assays revealed strong antagonistic activity by several isolates with REF-23 (88.12 %), LEF-63 (86.78 %) and GEF-13 (78.91 %), showing inhibition comparable to the standard biocontrol agent Trichoderma harzianum. These efficient isolates also exhibited multiple plant growth-promoting and other traits, including phosphate solubilization, ammonia, siderophore production and hydrogen cyanide production. Endophytic fungal isolates from Browntop millet showed strong antagonism against B. setariae, mainly through extracellular hydrolytic enzymes (cellulase, xylanase, amylase and lipase). REF-23 and LEF-63 exhibited the widest enzyme profiles and highest hydrolytic indices, indicating superior mycolytic potential. Molecular identification confirmed the taxonomic diversity of effective endophytes REF-23 and LEF-63 as Paecilomyces lilacinus and Chaetomium spp. respectively. Along with pathogen suppression, these fungi displayed multiple plant growth-promoting traits, highlighting their dual role in disease management and growth enhancement. Overall, Browntop millet-associated endophytic fungi represent promising, eco-friendly bioagents for integrated leaf blight management and sustainable crop productivity.

References

  1. 1. Nirmalakumari A, Salini K, Veerabadhiran P. Morphological characterization and evaluation of little millet (Panicum sumatrense Roth ex Roem. & Schult.) germplasm. Electron J Plant Breed. 2010;1(2):148–55.
  2. 2. Laishram B, Dutta R, Devi OR, Ngairangbam H. Importance of millets for food and nutritional security in the context of climate-resilient agriculture. Adv Agron. 2023;1:302–19.
  3. 3. Khokhar MK, Hooda KS, Meena PN, Gogoi R, Sharma SS, Balodi R, et al. Maize diseases and their sustainable management in India: Current status and future perspectives. In: Innovative approaches in diagnosis and management of crop diseases. 2021.179–219. https://doi.org/10.1201/9781003187837-8
  4. 4. Ramesh GV, Palanna KB, Praveen B, Vinay Kumar HD, Koti PS, Sonavane P, et al. First confirmed report of leaf blight on browntop millet caused by Bipolaris setariae in southern peninsular India. Plant Dis. 2021;105(5):1561. https://doi.org/10.1094/PDIS-11-20-2445-PDN
  5. 5. Iqbal J, Ali S, Zahid A, Fatima A, Zahra A, Siddiqi K, et al. Agriculture, pesticide pollution and climate change: interconnected challenges. In: Food systems and biodiversity in the context of environmental and climate risks: dynamics and evolving solutions. Cham: Springer Nature Switzerland; 2025:491–517.https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-89167-0
  6. 6. Yadav R, Singh AV, Kumar M, Yadav S. Phytochemical analysis and plant growth-promoting properties of endophytic fungi isolated from Tulsi and Aloe vera. Int J Agric Stat Sci. 2016;12(1):239–48.
  7. 7. Anand U, Pal T, Yadav N, Singh VK, Tripathi V, Choudhary KK, et al. Current scenario and future prospects of endophytic microbes: promising candidates for abiotic and biotic stress management for agricultural and environmental sustainability. Microb Ecol. 2023;86(3):1455–86. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00248-023-02190-1
  8. 8. Hung R, Lee S, Bennett JW. Fungal volatile organic compounds and their role in ecosystems. Appl Microbiol Biotechnol. 2015;99(8):3395–405. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00253-015-6494-4
  9. 9. Parveen S, Mohiddin FA, Bhat MA, Baba ZA, Jeelani F, Bhat MA, et al. Characterization of endophytic microorganisms of rice (Oryza sativa L.) and their potential for blast disease biocontrol and plant growth promotion. Phyton. 2023;92(11):31–45. https://doi.org/10.32604/phyton.2023.030921
  10. 10. Dennis C, Webster J. Antagonistic properties of species-groups of Trichoderma: I. Production of non-volatile antibiotics. Trans Br Mycol Soc. 1971;57(1):25–39. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0007-1536(71)80077-3
  11. 11. Turbat A, Rakk D, Vigneshwari A, Kocsubé S, Thu H, Szepesi A, et al. Characterization of the plant growth-promoting activities of endophytic fungi isolated from Sophora flavescens. Microorganisms. 2020;8(5):683. https://doi.org/10.3390/microorganisms8050683
  12. 12. Murphy JA, Riley JP. A modified single solution method for the determination of phosphate in natural waters. Anal Chim Acta. 1962;27:31–6. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0003-2670(00)88444-5
  13. 13. Mahfooz M, Dwedi S, Bhatt A, Raghuvanshi S, Bhatt M, Agrawal PK. Evaluation of antifungal and enzymatic potential of endophytic fungi isolated from Cupressus torulosa D. Don. Int J Curr Microbiol App Sci. 2017;6(7):4084–100. https://doi.org/10.20546/ijcmas.2017.607.424
  14. 14. Passari AK, Mishra VK, Gupta VK, Yadav MK, Saikia R, Singh BP. In vitro and in vivo plant growth-promoting activities and DNA fingerprinting of antagonistic endophytic actinomycetes associated with medicinal plants. PLoS One. 2015;10(9):e0139468. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0139468
  15. 15. Schwyn B, Neilands JB. Universal chemical assay for the detection and determination of siderophores. Anal Biochem. 1987;160(1):47–56. https://doi.org/10.1016/0003-2697(87)90612-9
  16. 16. Kushwaha P, Kashyap PL, Srivastava AK, Tiwari RK. Plant growth-promoting and antifungal activity in endophytic Bacillus strains from pearl millet (Pennisetum glaucum). Braz J Microbiol. 2020;51(1):229–41. https://doi.org/10.1007/s42770-019-00067-1
  17. 17. Ghosh SK, Pal SU, Chakraborty NI. Qualitative and quantitative assay of siderophore production by some microorganisms and the effect of different media on its production. Int J Chem Sci. 2015;13(4):1621–9.
  18. 18. Donate-Correa J, León-Barrios M, Pérez-Galdona R. Screening for plant growth-promoting rhizobacteria in Chamaecytisus proliferus (tagasaste), a forage tree-shrub legume endemic to the Canary Islands. Plant Soil. 2005;266(1–2):261–72. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11104-005-0754-5
  19. 19. Reetha AK, Pavani SL, Mohan S. Hydrogen cyanide production ability by bacterial antagonists and their antibiotic inhibition potential against Macrophomina phaseolina (Tassi.) Goid. Int J Curr Microbiol Appl Sci. 2014;3(5):172–8.
  20. 20. Mmango-Kaseke Z, Okaiyeto K, Nwodo UU, Mabinya LV, Okoh AI. Optimization of cellulase and xylanase production by Micrococcus species under submerged fermentation. Sustainability. 2016;8(11):1168. https://doi.org/10.3390/su8111168
  21. 21. Shafique S, Bajwa R, Shafique S. Screening of Aspergillus niger and A. flavus strains for extracellular α-amylase activity. Pak J Bot. 2009;41(2):897–905.
  22. 22. Hatzinikolaou DG, Macris BJ, Christakopoulos P, Kekos D, Kolisis FN, Fountoukidis G. Production and partial characterization of extracellular lipase from Aspergillus niger. Biotechnol Lett. 1996;18(5):547–52. https://doi.org/10.1007/BF0014020
  23. 23. White TJ, Bruns T, Lee S, Taylor J. Amplification and direct sequencing of fungal ribosomal RNA genes for phylogenetics. In: Innis MA, Gelfand DH, Sninsky JJ, White TJ, editors. PCR protocols: a guide to methods and applications. San Diego: Academic Press; 1990.315–22. https://doi.org/10.1016/B978-0-12-372180-8.50042-1
  24. 24. Kumar S, Stecher G, Li M, Knyaz C, Tamura K. MEGA X: molecular evolutionary genetics analysis across computing platforms. Mol Biol Evol. 2018;35(6):1547–9. https://doi.org/10.1093/molbev/msy096
  25. 25. Nandhini M, Rajini SB, Udayashankar AC, Niranjana SR, Lund OS, Shetty HS, et al. Diversity, plant growth-promoting and downy mildew disease suppression potential of cultivable endophytic fungal communities associated with pearl millet. Biol Control. 2018;127:127–38. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.biocontrol.2018.08.019
  26. 26. Li H, Zhou G, Zhang H, Song G, Liu J. Study on isolated pathogen of leaf blight and screening antagonistic bacteria from healthy leaves of Camellia oleifera. Afr J Agric Res. 2011;6(19):4560–6.
  27. 27. Kiran K, Rawal HC, Dubey H, Jaswal R, Bhardwaj SC, Deshmukh R, et al. Genome-wide analysis of four pathotypes of wheat rust pathogen (Puccinia graminis) reveals structural variations and diversifying selection. J Fungi (Basel). 2021;7(9):701. https://doi.org/10.3390/jof7090701
  28. 28. Sharma R, Girish AG, Upadhyaya HD, Humayun P, Babu TK, Rao VP, et al. Identification of blast resistance in a core collection of foxtail millet germplasm. Plant Dis. 2014;98(4):519–24. https://doi.org/10.1094/PDIS-06-13-0593-RE
  29. 29. Wiewiora B, Zurek G, Glen-Karolczyk K. In vitro studies of the antagonistic effect of selected fungi on Bipolaris sorokiniana (Sacc.) Shoem. Acta Sci Pol Hortorum Cultus. 2024;23(4):3–12. https://doi.org/10.24326/asphc.2024.5382
  30. 30. Zhao L, Xu Y, Lai X. Antagonistic endophytic bacteria associated with nodules of soybean (Glycine max L.) and plant growth-promoting properties. Braz J Microbiol. 2018;49(2):269–78. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.bjm.2017.06.007
  31. 31. Rana KL, Kour D, Kaur T, Devi R, Yadav AN, Yadav N, et al. Endophytic microbes: biodiversity, plant growth-promoting mechanisms and potential applications for agricultural sustainability. Antonie Van Leeuwenhoek. 2020;113(8):1075–107. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10482-020-01429-y
  32. 32. Rajini SB, Nandhini M, Udayashankar AC, Niranjana SR, Lund OS, Prakash HS. Diversity, plant growth-promoting traits and biocontrol potential of fungal endophytes of Sorghum bicolor. Plant Pathol. 2020;69(4):642–54. https://doi.org/10.1111/ppa.13151
  33. 33. Voisard C, Keel C, Haas D, Défago G. Cyanide production by Pseudomonas fluorescens helps suppress black root rot of tobacco under gnotobiotic conditions. EMBO J. 1989;8(2):351–8. https://doi.org/10.1002/j.1460-2075.1989.tb03384.x
  34. 34. Panicker S, Sayyed RZ. Hydrolytic enzymes from PGPR against plant fungal pathogens. In: Antifungal metabolites of rhizobacteria for sustainable agriculture. Cham: Springer International Publishing; 2022:211–38. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-04805-0_10
  35. 35. Mousa WK, Schwan A, Davidson J, Strange P, Liu H, Zhou T, et al. An endophytic fungus isolated from finger millet (Eleusine coracana) produces antifungal natural products. Front Microbiol. 2015;6:1157. https://doi.org/10.3389/fmicb.2015.01157
  36. 36. Khalil AM, Hassan SE, Alsharif SM, Eid AM, Ewais EE, Azab E, et al. Isolation and characterization of fungal endophytes from the medicinal plant Ephedra pachyclada as plant growth-promoting. Biomolecules. 2021;11(2):140. https://doi.org/10.3390/biom11020140

Downloads

Download data is not yet available.