The effect of Pseudomonas fluorescens strain EB298 (UTPf298) in the control of Fusarium pseudograminearum, the cause of crown and root rot disease and wheat chlorophyll pigments

Wheat is one of the most important agricultural products with the cultivated area covering about half of Iran's arable land. Fusarium pseudograminearum crown and root rot disease of wheat is one of the most destructive fungal agents in dry regions of Iran and the world, which affects the production of this product. By destroying the chlorophyll of the wheat plant, this disease reduces the growth of the plant and over time causes the death and complete drying of the wheat plant. The use of chemical poisons is one of the ways to control the damage caused by this disease, but due to the environmental damage caused by these poisons, scientists are looking for an alternative method. In this study, with the help of Pseudomonas fluorescens strain EB298 (UTPf298), the pathogenicity of this fungus in greenhouse conditions was significantly reduced compared to the control plant. In laboratory conditions, the bacterial isolate prevented the growth of the fungus by 70%. Also, this isolate has increased the amount of chlorophyll a, b and total chlorophyll to 1, 0.5 and 1.5 mg/g, respectively, by reducing the damage caused by the fungus. By stimulating plant growth, Pseudomonas fluorescens strain EB298 (UTPf298) increased the weight of root and stem by 0.35 and 0.9 grams and increased the length of root and stem by 15 and 28 cm. Therefore, in this research, due to the efficiency of Pseudomonas fluorescens EB298 (UTPf298), it can be used to control Fusarium pseudograminearum crown and root rot disease of wheat .