Antifungal potential of lactic acid bacteria against anthracnose pathogen, colletotrichum capsici of chille

Abstract

Colletotrichum capsici are ubiquitous fungal pathogens that cause anthracnose disease of chilli plant. Although chemical fungicide can be used to manage the disease, excessive use of the fungicide can lead to development of resistance fungicide as well as human health concern. Lactic acid bacteria (LAB) are gram positive, mostly anaerobic, non-sporulating and acid-tolerant bacteria which produce antifungal compounds. Many LAB strains have been isolated from fermented foods, fresh fruits and vegetables, but very limited study is done on antifungal potential of LAB isolated from soils. This study aimed to isolate and identify LAB from soil in agricultural fields and evaluate their antifungal activities under laboratory and glasshouse conditions. Laboratory tests showed that a total of seven LAB strains out of 40 putative LAB were successfully isolated from sandy clay loam soil and sandy loam soil collected from respective rice fields and Roselle cultivation areas using M17 agar and Tomato juice agar under aerobic condition and identified as Lactococcus lactis subspecies lactis through molecular techniques.