Effect of Different Application methods of Pseudomonas fluorescens on growth of Groundnut (Arachis hypogaea l.) Infected with Phaeoisariopsis personata

Abstract

The role of groundnut in improving food security and farmers' income in the Nigerian Savanna cannot be over emphasized. Laboratory and pot experiment were conducted in the laboratory and screen house of the Department of Plant Biology, Bayero University, Kano in 2021 to study the effect of different application methods of Pseudomonas fluorescens on growth of groundnut (Arachis hypogaea L.) infected with Phaeoisariopsis personata causing late leaf spot of groundnut. Dual culture assay was used in the laboratory and pot experiment was conducted in screen house. Three groundnut varieties viz; SAMNUT 24, SAMNUT22 and Jar gyada. The treatments consisted of three different application methods of P. fluorescens (seed, foliar and combined seed and foliar) and controls (standard and negative control). Groundnut plants were artificially infected with 5×10⁵ conidia per ml of P. personata and treated using the above mentioned methods. The experiment was arranged in a Complete Randomized Design (CRD) and all treatments and controls were replicated four times. Parameters measured included plant height, number of leaves and number of branches. Results of the study revealed that in dual culture experiment P. fluorescens inhibited the growth of C. personatum (64.70 and 70.58%). In pot study, SAMNUT 22 recorded the highest plant height (43.20) and the least was recorded by Jar gyada (36.95) while SAMNUT 24 recorded the highest number of leaves (136.8) and branches (34.25) and the least was recorded by jar gyada. Combined seed and foliar treatments recorded the highest value (37.75) in terms of number of branches. Therefore, it can be concluded that use of seed application followed by foliar spray of Pseudomonas enhance growth of Phaeoisariopsis personata of some groundnut varieties significantly.