In the current study, a total of 70 fungi were isolated from the rhizosphere soil of chilli collected from six different districts of south Karnataka, India. All the rhizospheric fungi were evaluated for its antagonistic nature against Colletotrichum capsici—the causal agent of anthracnose disease—and eight isolates were found positive. The antagonistic fungi were further characterized for the production of plant growth-promoting traits wherein five isolates were recorded positive for all the traits tested and were also positive for root colonization. All five plant growth-promoting fungi (PGPF) were subjected to molecular characterization for identification up to the species level and the accession numbers were obtained from NCBI. The five isolates, namely NBP-08, NBP-45, NBP-61, NBP-66 and NBP-67, were further experimented with on susceptible seeds to evaluate its efficacy on seed and plant growth parameters along with induction of resistance against the anthracnose disease. The evaluated PGPF offered significant enhancement in seed and plant growth parameters with maximum improvement observed in seeds treated with NBP-61. Among the PGPF isolates, NBP-61 showed the maximum protection of 78.75%, while all the other isolates also showed significant protection against anthracnose disease compared to untreated plants. The higher accumulation of lignin and callose deposition along with enhanced defense enzyme activities in the PGPF-treated challenge-inoculated seedlings authenticated the protection offered by PGPF. The study evidenced the immense ability of PGPF in eliciting disease protection and enhancement of plant growth in chilli, which may act as a possible substitute for harmful chemicals.

Rhizosphere-resident fungi that are helpful to plants are generally termed as ‘plant growth promoting fungi’ (PGPF). These fungi are one of the chief sources of the biotic inducers known to give their host plants numerous advantages, and they play a vital role in sustainable agriculture. Today’s biggest challenge is to satisfy the rising demand for crop protection and crop yield without harming the natural ecosystem. Nowadays, PGPF has become an eco-friendly way to improve crop yield by enhancing seed germination, shoot and root growth, chlorophyll production, and fruit yield, etc., either directly or indirectly. The mode of action of these PGPF includes the solubilization and mineralization of the essential micro- and macronutrients needed by plants to regulate the balance for various plant processes. PGPF produce defense-related enzymes, defensive/volatile compounds, and phytohormones that control pathogenic microbes’ growth, thereby assisting the plants in facing various biotic and abiotic stresses. Therefore, this review presents a holistic view of PGPF as efficient natural biofertilizers to improve crop plants’ growth and resistance.

Plants are highly rich in essential bioactive medicinal components. Synthetic medications can have side effects compared to antifungal drugs derived from medicinal plant sources. This study was aimed to seek plant-based drugs that are nontoxic in nature and have a competent role in reducing pathogenic fungal infections in humans. In the current study, a literature search was carried out using different databases and searching techniques along with inclusion and exclusion of research articles, theses, and book chapters. The study revealed the use of phytochemicals and minimum doses required to antagonize pathogenic fungal growth. The antioxidant potency of medicinal plants is directly linked with their antifungal activity. The study exploited that the bioactive compounds found in medicinal herbs have various therapeutic properties such as antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, anti-obesity, antinausea, anti-emetic, antidiabetic, and anticancer activities. With regard to antifungal mechanism delivered by these metabolites, they showed reduction of pathogenic fungal growth and can disrupt plasma membrane permeability, prevent toxin/hyphal accumulation, and cause cell wall lysis. Thus, the report provides comprehensive information on medicinal plant derived metabolites and their use in antifungal drug preparation that has much consequence for researchers, herbal medicators, pharmacists, and clinicians.

Rhizobiome is a network of beneficial microbes (fungi, bacteria, nematodes, actino-mycetes, mycorrhizae) and to study their interaction is fascinating in producing higher crop yield and increase resistance against phytopathogens. The interactions could be competitive, neutral, commensal and mutualistic. Beneficial interactions chiefly colo-nize roots and maximize plant growth parameters like plant height, leaves number & fruit/pod/seed number. The positive microinoculants fix nitrogen, solubilize P and Fe, produce phytohormones, improve plant defense chemicals and enzyme machinery in root tissues upon pathogen invasion. The rhizomicroinoculants also increase photo-synthetic and nutritional proficiency by maximizing total chlorophyll, carotenoid, carbohydrates, amino acids and proteins in plants. They play a crucial role in pre-venting disease outbreak under stressful situations like drought, metal stress, salinity, high temperature, soil erosion, change in rainfall and humidity. Understanding rhi-zomicrobiome interaction and preparing novel rhizospheric microbial formulations could be good strategy to improve plant growth parameters, fruit yield and defense ability towards pathogen.