ABSTRACT

An important cash crop of India is chili (Capsicum spp.). This spice crop suffers huge losses in storage and transportation due to microbial infection. Fusarium lichenicola is well known as a causal agent of fruit rot in chili fruits. The aim of the study was to find out the antifungal activity of the isolated endophyte against the isolated pathogen from spoiled chili. The present study was conducted by isolating fungal endophyte from fresh leaves of Capsicum annuum and its metabolites were extracted. In ex-situ study, these metabolites were treated against chili (Capsicum frutescens and Capsicum assamicum) brought from the market and stored in normal room temperature. Molecular analysis revealed the presence of the endophyte Colletotrichum siamense. Metabolite detection showed the secretion of alkaloid and reducing sugar in ethyl acetate fraction. Treatment against spoilage of C.frutescens showed best results when treated with ethyl acetate fraction of C.siamense. But in case of C.assamicum, mixture of ethyl acetate fraction of C.siamense and chloroform fraction of Phyllantus emblica showed better efficacy followed by only ethyl acetate fraction of the endophyte against spoilage. So, it could be concluded that ethyl acetate fraction of C.siamense has a potent metabolite against chili pathogen, F.lichenicola. Also, the present study is the first report of the endophyte C.siamense found in C.annuum grown in North-east Guwahati region of Assam. Keywords: ex-situ study, C.siamense, F.lichenicola, C.frutescens, C.annuum
Publication date: 01/10/2021

https://ijbpas.com/pdf/2021/October/MS_IJBPAS_2021_5655.pdf

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https://doi.org/10.31032/IJBPAS/2021/10.10.5655