Fungal disease suppression and growth promotion potential of endophytic bacteria from ethnomedicinal plants.

103 bacterial isolates obtained from 8 ethnomedicinal plants in Manipur, India were studied for antifungal and plant growth promoting (PGP) activities. Forty-six (46), out of 62 antifungal isolates, showed potent activities against R. solani. Since R. solani (RS), a sheath blight pathogen, threatens rice yields worldwide, the present study was aimed at discovering promising bioinoculants with anti-RS and PGP potential on rice. Twenty-nine (29) endophytic isolates exhibiting promising anti-RS and PGP activities were subjected to seed vigor assays on rice (var. Jatra) and 16 were found to enhance rice seedling vigour by 70% or more over the control. Four (4) strains, Streptomyces sp. (AcRz21), Alkalihalobacillus sp. (PtL11), Bacillus sp. (TgIb5), and Priestia sp. (TgIb12) with the highest vigor indices were studied for growth promotion of rice in field conditions under pathogen-challenged and pathogen-free conditions. These bioactive strains were able to significantly enhance root and shoot biomass and reduce lesion heights caused by R. solani.