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Plant Science Today (PST)

Research Articles

Vol. 12 No. sp3 (2025): Advances in Plant Health Improvement for Sustainable Agriculture

Functional proteomics in groundnut: Unveiling resistance mechanisms against stem rot using seaweed and bioinoculant

DOI
https://doi.org/10.14719/pst.8898
Submitted
15 April 2025
Published
07-09-2025

Abstract

Sclerotium rolfsii, a soil-borne fungal pathogen with a broad host range, poses a major threat to groundnut cultivation by causing stem rot disease, leading to significant yield losses. In this study, S. rolfsii and five Trichoderma spp. isolates were isolated. PCR amplification using universal fungal primers viz., ITS-1 and ITS-4 confirmed the identity of S. rolfsii via BLAST analysis, which was further validated using species-specific primers SR1-F and SR1-R. The sequence was submitted to GenBank under the accession number MZ920141. Antagonistic potential of five Trichoderma isolates was assessed, among which Trichoderma asperellum (Tr1) exhibited the highest mycelial inhibition (73.81 %) in dual culture and up to 89.11 % inhibition in poisoned food assays. Volatile metabolites from Tr1 significantly suppressed mycelial growth (67.56 %) and sclerotial production (91.22 %). Molecular identification of Tr1 via ITS and TEF1 gene sequencing confirmed it as T. asperellum, with GenBank accession number OL872253. Additionally, solvent extracts of marine macroalgae, particularly Sargassum wightii (10 %), showed potent antifungal activity (87.56 % inhibition). A pot culture study combining Tr1 and S. wightii extract significantly reduced stem rot incidence (84.93 %) and improved plant growth as well as yield parameters. Protein profiling using 2D-PAGE and MALDI-TOF analysis revealed unique expression of defense-related proteins such as Peptidyl-prolyl cis-trans isomerase, bHLH145 and 1, 8-cineole synthase in treated plants. Functional analysis indicated their involvement in auxin transport, transcriptional regulation and secondary metabolite biosynthesis, contributing to plant immune responses. These findings highlight the synergistic potential of Tr1 and marine macroalgal extracts in sustainable management of S. rolfsii, while proteomic insights provide a molecular basis for induced resistance in groundnut.

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