Endophyte Chaetomium Globosum CGSR-13 strain enhanced plant growth promotion and antifungal activity against pokkah boeng caused by Fusarium verticillioides in India

Pokkah boeng (PB) caused by Fusarium verticillioides is an emerging and important fungal disease of sugarcane in India. A total of 30 Chaetomium globosum isolates were screened for the evaluation of their antifungal activities against F. verticillioides. The initial screening of about 30 isolates of C. globosum against F. verticillioides pathogen under in vitro conditions revealed that the C. globosum strain CGSR-13 recorded 77.38, 54.05 and 50.00% inhibition in mycelial growth, spore germination and sporulation of the pathogen respectively. Therefore, this effective strain was further evaluated for its efficacy against F. verticillioides under glasshouse and field conditions. The greenhouse experiment conducted during the 2022–2023 and 2023–2024 crop seasons revealed that sett treatment with CGSR-13 suppressed the pokkah boeng disease by 63.71%. The further field trial showed a 67.57% decrease in pokkah boeng incidence in CGSR-13 sett treated plants than untreated plants during the 2022–2023 and 2023–2024 crop seasons. The results of field trials also showed an increase in cane weight by 57.75% in CGSR-13 treated plants than untreated control. Therefore, the present study found that C.globosum CGSR-13 is an effective plant growth promoter and promising bio-control agent against F. verticillioides causing pokkah boeng of sugarcane.