Assessing the Effectiveness of Eco-Friendly Management Approaches for Controlling Wheat Yellow Rust and Their Impact on Antioxidant Enzymes.

Wheat stripe rust, caused by f. sp. (), is a destructive disease that causes significant yield losses in wheat production worldwide, including in Egypt. The use of biocontrol agents is among the best eco-friendly management strategies to control this disease, as they are more sustainable and environmentally friendly than traditional chemical control methods. In a comparative analysis, antioxidant enzyme activity and various management approaches were compared with two bacterial biocontrol agents, and . This study showed the remarkable efficacy of endophytic bacteria, and , in mitigating wheat stripe rust infection across three wheat varieties, namely Misr1, Gimmeiza11, and Sids12. exhibited superior performance compared to , resulting in infection types of 1 and 2.66, respectively, following inoculation. The highest reduction rate was observed with Tilit fungicide (500 ppm), followed by B. subtilis and Salicylic acid (1000 ppm), respectively. Variations in wheat varieties' response to infection were observed, with Misr1 exhibiting the lowest infection and Sids12 showing high susceptibility. Among the tested inducers, Salicylic acid demonstrated the greatest reduction in disease infection, followed by Indole acetic acid, while Oxalic acid exhibited the lowest decrease. Additionally, the study evaluated the activities of five antioxidant enzymes, including Catalase, Ascorbate peroxidase (APX), glutathione reductase (GR), Superoxide dismutase (SOD), and peroxidase (POX), in the wheat-stripe rust interaction under different integrated management approaches. The wheat variety Misr1 treated with Tilit (500 ppm), B. subtilis, Salicylic acid, Montoro (500 ppm), and exhibited the highest increase in all enzymatic activities. These findings provide valuable insights into the effectiveness of and as biocontrol agents for wheat stripe rust control in Egypt, emphasizing their potential role in sustainable, integrated, and environmentally friendly management practices.