Development of Mesorhizobium ciceri-Based Biofilms and Analyses of Their Antifungal and Plant Growth Promoting Activity in Chickpea Challenged by Fusarium Wilt.

Biofilmed biofertilizers have emerged as a new improved inoculant technology to provide efficient nutrient and pest management and sustain soil fertility. In this investigation, development of a Trichoderma viride-Mesorhizobium ciceri biofilmed inoculant was undertaken, which we hypothesized, would possess more effective biological nitrogen fixing ability and plant growth promoting properties. As a novel attempt, we selected Mesorhizobium ciceri spp. with good antifungal attributes with the assumption that such inoculants could also serve as biocontrol agents. These biofilms exhibited significant enhancement in several plant growth promoting attributes, including 13-21 % increase in seed germination, production of ammonia, IAA and more than onefold to twofold enhancement in phosphate solubilisation, when compared to their individual partners. Enhancement of 10-11 % in antifungal activity against Fusarium oxysporum f. sp. ciceri was also recorded, over the respective M. ciceri counterparts. The effect of biofilms and the M. ciceri cultures individual on growth parameters of chickpea under pathogen challenged soil illustrated that the biofilms performed at par with the M. ciceri strains for most plant biometrical and disease related attributes. Elicitation of defense related enzymes like l-phenylalanine ammonia lyase, peroxidase and polyphenol oxidase was higher in M. ciceri/biofilm treated plants as compared to uninoculated plants under pathogen challenged soil. Further work on the signalling mechanisms among the partners and their tripartite interactions with host plant is envisaged in future studies.