Suppressive potential of chitosan and Paenibacillus polymyxa against Fusarium verticillioides isolated from maize (Zea mays L.) in vitro

Ear rot, caused by Fusarium verticillioides (Sacc.), is one of the most destructive diseases affecting maize worldwide. This study aimed to evaluate the antifungal activity of chitosan and Paenibacillus strains as potential biocontrol agents against F. verticillioides under in vitro conditions. The pathogen was initially isolated from infected maize seeds and identified based on morphological and molecular characteristics. To assess the antifungal effects, three concentrations of chitosan (۱, ۳, and ۵ mg/mL) and six Paenibacillus polymyxa strains (P۱, P۲, P۴, P۶, P۷, and P۸) were tested against the mycelial growth of F. verticillioides. The experiments were conducted using a completely randomized design, and the collected data were analyzed using an analysis of variance. Chitosan exhibited vigorous antifungal activity, achieving complete (۱۰۰%) inhibition of mycelial growth at concentrations of ۳ and ۵ mg/ml and a ۹۳.۴۰% inhibition at ۱ mg/ml. All Paenibacillus strains demonstrated inhibitory effects, with inhibition rates of ۲۸.۷%, ۱۷.۸%, ۴۷.۵%, ۱۸.۴%, ۲.۳%, and ۴۲.۶% for the strains P۱, P۲, P۴, P۶, P۷, and P۸, respectively. These findings suggest that chitosan, in particular, has strong antifungal properties and holds promise as an eco-friendly alternative to synthetic fungicides for managing F. verticillioides in maize.

کلیدواژه ها:

Antifungal effects ، Biocontrol agents ، Ear rot ، Fusarium sp ، Zea mays