Page 362 - e-Book
P. 362

Key  Words:     Bacillus  subtilis,  Trichoderma  viride,  Lablab  purpureus,  Vigna  radiata,

               Capsicum annuum, Cicer arietinum, Bacteria, Fungi and pathogens.


               INTRODUCTION:
                                Agriculture plays a major role in day to day life. Sustainable agriculture has been

               developed  to  meet  the  needs  of  the  society  without  industrial  technologies.  Though  these
               agricultural practices are followed the plants get easily affected by many external factors such

               as bacteria, fungi, insects etc. Plant Growth Promoting Rhizobacteria (PGPR) are a certain

               group of bacteria that colonizes the roots of plants. Bacterial diseases can be controlled by the
               uses  of  these  bacteria.  Some  of  the  plant  growth  promoting  bacteria  are  Bacillus,

               Pseudomonas, Erwinia, Azotobacter etc. PGPR fixes the atmospheric nitrogen and provide it

               to the plants. Though the use of chemical fertilizers increases the crop production and faster
               growth  but  it  affects  the  soil  fertility,  pollutes  the  water  and  it  is  hazardous  to  the

               environment. So, instead of these chemicals, biofertilizers like PGPR can be used. It doesn’t
               cause any harm to the soil and it is environment friendly.

                              Bacillus  subtilis  is  a  gram-positive,  rod  shaped,  aerobic  bacteria  that  forms
               endospores. These spores can survive in the soil for a longer period of time even in harsh

               environmental conditions. It is a widely used rhizobacteria which promotes plant growth and

               development. It has the capacity to secrete antibiotics. It activates biocontrol mechanism to
               suppress the diseases which is caused by the pathogens. Trichoderma viride is a fungus and

               acts as a biofungicide. It is mainly used to suppress the diseases which are caused by fungal
               pathogens and also  for the transformation of soil  nutrients.  This  fungus  grows best  in  the

               acidic soil.
                              Leguminous  crops  itself  can  fix  the  nitrogen  by  the  symbiotic  bacteria  which  is

               present in their root nodules. Cicer arietinum L. is a legume crop which is mainly cultivated

               for its seeds. It belongs to the family Fabaceae. It reaches a height of about 20 – 60cm. It is
               multipurpose grain legume and mainly used as a source of protein. Capsicum annuum L. is a

               perennial plant and usually grown as an annual. It belongs to the Solanaceae family. It is a

               short-lived  plant  and  requires  well  drained  soil.  Lablab  purpureus  L.  is  a  pulse  crop  and
               belongs  to  the  Fabaceae  family.  It  is  also  a  short-lived  plant  and  reach  upto  3-6m.  Vigna

               radiata L. is a legume crop which is cultivated for its edible seeds. It belongs to the family
               Fabaceae. It acts as a good green manure.









                                                           352
   357   358   359   360   361   362   363   364   365   366   367