Induction of Systemic Resistance against Sheath Blight in Rice by Different Isolates.

Sheath blight disease is a fungal pathogen that causes leaf blight in rice plants, resulting in significant yield losses throughout the growing season. spp. have long been used as biocontrol agents for a variety of plant diseases. Four isolates were tested for their ability to promote rice growth and generate systemic resistance to , the causal pathogen of sheath blight disease. In vitro, isolates produced the growth hormone indole acetic acid (0.82-1.82 mg L). Additionally, seed treatment with suspension outperformed , and in terms of germination and vigor evaluation. The maximum seed germination of 89% was recorded after seed treatments with a fresh suspension of , followed by 87% germination in treatment, compared with only 74% germination in the untreated controls. When compared with the infected control plants, all isolates were non-pathogenic to rice and their co-inoculation considerably enhanced plant growth and health by reducing the disease index to 37% and improving plant height (26%), fresh weight (140%) and dry weight (100%). All isolates effectively reduced sheath blight disease incidence, as well as the fungicide carbendazim, which is recommended for field management of . In comparison to untreated control seedlings, treatment with isolates enhanced the production of peroxidase and polyphenol oxidase enzymes and the expression of the () and genes, which could be involved in disease incidence reduction. In conclusion, the use of spp. has been demonstrated to improve rice growth and resistance to while also providing an environmentally acceptable option to the agroecosystems.