Modulation of H2O2 produced by wheat plant using Pseudomonas fluorescens UTPf298 under Fusarium pseudograminearum crown and root rot disease

Crown and root rot disease caused by Fusarium pseudograminearum is one of the growth-limiting factors in wheat cultivation. This disease is usually associated with the browning of the coleoptile, lower leaf sheaths, adjacent stems, and nodes. To deal with this disease, various strategies have been used, including the use of bacteria that increase plant growth. In this research, the bacterium Pseudomonas fluorescens strain EB298 was isolated and identified from the soil contaminated with this disease in Andimeshk city. This isolate was able to reduce the amount of plant ethylene from 30 nmol/g to 20 nmol/g. As a result of reducing the amount of ethylene, the amount of hydrogen peroxide, which was representative of active oxygen in this research, decreased from 45 M/gFWµ in the control sample to 27 M/gFWµ in the sample inoculated with bacteria. The damage caused by crown rot fungus (pathogenic intensity) was significantly reduced from grade 4 in the control to grade 2. The results of this research show that seed inoculation with P. fluorescens UTPf298 bacteria, in addition to controlling root rot disease, has reduced ethylene and hydrogen peroxide and ultimately the severity of pathogenicity in wheat. Also, this bacterium, by affecting the growth of the plant, strengthened the plant and the greenness of the wheat plant.