Alternaria solani IA300 induces growth and development in two common bean cultivars

The study of plant–rhizosphere microorganism associations has become an important knowledge resource for sustainable agriculture. However, little has been achieved in the replacement of synthetic fertilization because most of these studies have been carried out under controlled conditions and not in experimental fields. In this study, we evaluated the effect of inoculating plants of two common bean cultivars at the vegetative and reproductive stages of the crop cycle with Alternaria solani native strain IA300 under field conditions. Results showed that A. solani is capable of increasing the production of common bean cultivars, reflected over different vegetative and reproductive response variables: leaf area, plant length (cm), fresh weight (g), dry weight (g), number of leaves, flowers, seedpods, and seed yield. The findings showed that Alternaria solani native strain IA300 may be considered a growth-promoting microorganism under field conditions. The effects on leaf area after inoculating bean plants with Alternaria were cultivar-dependent.