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Combined Application of Biochar and Biocontrol Agents Enhances Plant Growth and Activates Resistance Against Meloidogyne incognita in Tomato

Die kombinierte Anwendung von Biokohle und biologischen Schädlingsbekämpfungsmitteln verbessert das Pflanzenwachstum und aktiviert die Resistenz gegen Meloidogyne incognita bei Tomaten

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Abstract

Biochar (BC) is known to enhance plant growth and may activate plant resistance to various soil borne pathogens. In this experiment, the rice husk (RH) BC was combined with biocontrol agents (BCAs), Bacillus subtilis and Trichoderma harzianum against Meloidogyne incognita in tomato and the efficacy of BC and BCAs in boosting overall plant biomass assessed side by side. BCAs along with 3% RH BC were applied to potting soil, tomato plants were transplanted, and then the soil was inoculated with second stage juveniles of Meloidogyne incognita. Bacillus subtilis +3% RH BC improved overall plant growth and reduced M. incognita damage. To unravel the resistance at the molecular level, root samples were taken 6‑ and 12-days post inoculation (dpi) to measure the expression of two resistance genes, PR-1b and JERF3, with the help of quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction (qRT-PCR). The expression of PR-1b was upregulated 6 dpi for only BCAs while JERF3 remained unchanged except in only Bacillus subtilis treated plants. Similarly, the expression of both genes was found to be upregulated in some combined treatments at 12 dpi. The results suggested that the 3% BC application with BCAs effectively manages root-knot nematode, enhances overall plant biomass, and triggers defense related genes in tomato plants.

Zusammenfassung

Es ist bekannt, dass Biokohle (BC) das Pflanzenwachstum fördert und die Pflanzenresistenz gegen verschiedene bodenbürtige Krankheitserreger aktivieren kann. In diesem Versuch wurde die Reishülsen(RH)-Biokohle mit den Biokontrollmitteln (BCA) Bacillus subtilis und Trichoderma harzianum gegen Meloidogyne incognita in Tomaten kombiniert und die Wirksamkeit von BC und BCAs bei der Steigerung der Gesamtbiomasse der Pflanze nebeneinander geprüft. BCAs wurden zusammen mit 3 % RH BC auf die Blumenerde aufgebracht, die Tomaten verpflanzt und die Erde dann mit Meloidogyne incognita inokuliert. Bacillus subtilis +3 % RH BC verbesserte das gesamte Pflanzenwachstum und verringerte die Schäden durch M. incognita. Um die Resistenz auf molekularer Ebene zu entschlüsseln, wurden 6 und 12 Tage nach der Inokulation (dpi) Wurzelproben entnommen, um die Expression von zwei Resistenzgenen, PR-1b und JERF3, mithilfe der quantitativen Echtzeit-Reverse-Transkriptions-Polymerase-Kettenreaktion (qRT-PCR) zu messen. Die Expression von PR-1b wurde 6 dpi nur bei BCAs hochreguliert, während JERF3 unverändert blieb, außer bei mit Bacillus subtilis behandelten Pflanzen. Ebenso wurde festgestellt, dass die Expression beider Gene in einigen Kombinationsbehandlungen 12 Tage nach der Inokulation hochreguliert war. Die Kohärenz der Ergebnisse deutet darauf hin, dass die Anwendung von 3 % BC mit BCA Wurzelknotennematoden effektiv bekämpft, die gesamte Pflanzenbiomasse erhöht und abwehrbezogene Gene in Tomatenpflanzen aktiviert.

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Acknowledgements

The authors are highly thankful to Higher Education Commission of Pakistan for supporting this research through Pak-Turk Researcher’s Mobility Grant No. 9‑5(Ph-1-MG-2) Pak-Turk-R&D-HEC-2017 and NRPU project number 8097.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Plant Pathology, The Islamia University of Bahawalpur, Bahawalpur, Pakistan

    Usman Arshad

  2. Department of Bioinformatics and Biotechnology, Government College University Faisalabad, Faisalabad, Pakistan

    Farrukh Azeem

  3. Centre of Agricultural Biochemistry and Biotechnology (CABB), University of Agriculture Faisalabad, Faisalabad, Pakistan

    Ghulam Mustafa & Muhammad Amjad Ali

  4. Centre of Excellence in Molecular Biology (CEMB), University of Punjab, Lahore, Pakistan

    Allah Bakhsh

  5. Department of Plant Production and Technologies, Nigde Omer Halisdemir University, Nigde, Turkey

    Halil Toktay

  6. Department of Botany and Plant Sciences, University of California Riverside, Riverside, USA

    Milt McGiffen

  7. Siberian Federal Scientific Centre of Agrobiotechnology, Russian Academy of Sciences, Krasnoobsk, Novosibirsk region, Russian Federation

    Muhammad Amjad Nawaz

  8. Institute of Soil and Environmental Science, University of Agriculture, Faisalabad, Pakistan

    Muhammad Naveed

  9. Department of Plant Pathology, University of Agriculture, Faisalabad, Pakistan

    Usman Arshad & Muhammad Amjad Ali

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Correspondence to Muhammad Amjad Ali.

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U. Arshad, F. Azeem, G. Mustafa, A. Bakhsh, H. Toktay, M. McGiffen, M.A. Nawaz, M. Naveed and M.A. Ali declare that they have no competing interests.

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Arshad, U., Azeem, F., Mustafa, G. et al. Combined Application of Biochar and Biocontrol Agents Enhances Plant Growth and Activates Resistance Against Meloidogyne incognita in Tomato. Gesunde Pflanzen 73, 591–601 (2021). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10343-021-00580-4

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