Aim: Trichoderma provides resistance to abiotic stress by generating a variety of secondary metabolites, phytohormones, through nutrient solubilization. The current study was conducted to determine whether Trichoderma could be used to alleviate drought stress in rice. Methodology: Three distinct isolates of Trichoderma harzianum [94 (A),T-14, IRRI-2] obtained from the International Rice Research Institute India, as well as two native isolates of Trichoderma asperellum (OT-3) and Trichoderma harzianum (0T-8) obtained from the farmlands of OUAT through serial dilution, were inoculated through seedling root dip treatment. Different morphological (days to active tillering, plant height, panicle initiation, root length, leaf rolling score, number of unfilled and filled grains per panicle) and biochemical data (Total phenolic content, malondialdehyde, proline, hydrogen peroxide, lignin and peroxidase) were estimated to determine the stress due to drought. Results: In-vivo studies on plant height, root length, number of filled grains, grains per panicle and leaf rolling that are positively associated with grain yield revealed that the application of Trichoderma had increased the grain yield. The effect of various biochemical characteristics, such as increase in phenol, peroxidase, lignin and cell membrane stability, which are known to alleviate drought stress through a variety of mechanisms were observed in this study. Inoculation of Trichoderma reduced the levels of oxidative chemicals such as proline, malondialdehyde, and hydrogen peroxide. Interpretation: The biochemical and morphological changes found in this study support the hypothesis that Trichoderma had a positive impact on yield and drought stress. Key words: Drought, Rice, Stress-related enzymes, Trichoderma spp

Cotton (Gossypium spp.) is a profitable commercial crop that spans over 33 million hectares in 77 countries and is a vital source of natural fibre globally. It is extensively grown in India and supports over 60 million Indians, including 6 million farmers, the majority of whom are small and marginal farmers. The current study used a randomised block design with two replications and a spacing of 90 cm x 60 cm to explore 89 cultivars from one frequently planted tetraploid species (G. hirsutum) in an areolate mildew hotspot in Odisha during the kharif of 2019, 2020, and 2021. The infector row technique was utilised to supplement natural disease pressure, and the severity of grey mildew was graded on a 0-4 scale. Among all the genotypes tested GSHV-159 and GISV-272 were reported to be disease free. While 32 genotypes shown only moderate resistance to the disease, 22 entries had consistently strong resistance over three years. These genotypes can be used as Grey mildew resistant donors. Twenty-four of the types tested were vulnerable to grey mildew, while the remaining nine germplasms were extremely sensitive to the fungus. These findings support cotton producers, particularly small, marginal, and tenant farmers, in selecting the best genotypes with resistance to grey mildew disease, a hazard to the environment, the economy and most importantly, sustainable crop production.

The beneficial microbes play an important role in farming, medical and industrial processes. The precious microbes belong to varied groups such as archaea, bacteria and fungi which could interact with plant species and also sort out from different habitats like extreme environments (acidic, alkaline, drought, pressure, salinity and temperatures). Structural adaptations like Cell envelope, Cell membrane, Cryoprotection, Heat shock proteins, Cold shock proteins, RNA degradosome, Enzymes, Chaperones and Metabolic processes microbes can tolerate under stress conditions. Psychrophilic microbes lead to a beneficial role in Biological Nitrogen Fixation (BNF), the Solubilization of nutrients and also for antibiotic production like DAPG, HCN, Phenazine, Oligomycin A, Kanosamine, Tensin, Tropolone, Pyrrolnitrin and Zwittermicin will suppress the disease growth. Microorganisms with therapeutic benefits can be used for sustainable agriculture and human health. Sustainable agriculture requires the use of different tactics to boost crop yields and food grain production through the introduction of terms of environmental issues. Psychrophilic plant growth-promoting (PGP) microbes can strongly affect crop growth under chilly environments through biological N2-fixation, siderophore production, hormone-regulating plant growth and antagonism activities

After Green Revolution, the usage of chemical pesticides and fertilizers has been increased to enhance the yield of crops to feed the burgeoning world’s population by managing several pests. But the increase in anthropogenic activities has led to increased pollution on the earth’s surface through indiscriminate use of the harmful chemicals. Excess and improper disposal of nutrients and toxic compounds not only hampers the physical and chemical properties of soil, but also pollute the ground water via surface runoff or leaching which directly or indirectly affects lives of plants, animals, birds, marine organisms and human beings allowing bio amplification to damage the ecological structure. Stubble burning is another harmful approach to achieve extensive cropping which pollutes the environment by producing greenhouse gases and also affects the beneficial soil microorganisms and crop development. However, chemical contaminants can be eradicated from polluted soil and water by the use of efficient microorganisms. Microorganisms degrade the complex toxic compounds with the aid of enzymes into simple, non-toxic inorganic compounds and they are very efficient in decomposing the crop residues. However, for rapid degradation, research has been focused on microbial consortium comprising of more than one microorganism to enhance the efficiency of biodegradation due to their capacity for synergistic metabolism. In this book chapter, we have discussed about several applications microbial consortia in remediation of soil, water and environmental pollution caused by indiscriminate use of chemicals in agriculture.

Endophytes are those microorganisms that live throughout the life cycle of a plant without causing noticeable negative signs. As endophytes are known to induce resistance in plants and can also suppress phytopathogens, they can be used as a replacement for harmful chemicals. Mostly endophytes establish a symbiotic or commensal relationship with plants, thereby benefitting the latter in terms of nutrition, growth, and disease resistance. Endophytes are known to induce plant hormones, the key chemical constituents that provide tolerance against a number of abiotic and biotic stresses. Endophytes induce resistance in plants and also inhibit phytopathogens by producing several bioactive molecules, defense-related enzymes, PR proteins, siderophores, hyper parasitism, antibiosis, and through induced systemic resistance. Different bioformulations on endophytic fungi and bacteria have yielded promising results in the management of diseases. After reviewing the work done on endophytes, it could be concluded that in the era of sustainable agriculture, endophytes opened a new venture in terms of eco-friendly disease management.

Photosynthesis and respiration are two central and basic physiological processes in regulation to carbon budget and carbon sink in the terrestrial ecosystem, as well as assessment and feedback of highly variable and fluctuating environmental conditions. Elevated CO2, salinity, alkalinity, drought, flood, nutrient deficiency and toxicity, extreme cold and heat, and various natural and anthropogenic pollutants are critical challenges in near future and their primary target is to alteration of photosynthetic and respirational processes, which ultimately influence the final yield potential of major agricultural crops. However, plants adapt themselves to these environmental circumstances via complicated changes at physiochemical and molecular levels. The current chapter highlights the underline mechanisms of photosynthetic and respiration in response to climate change at physiological, biochemical, and molecular levels. This chapter also covers the timely and substantial information regarding the recent progress in photosynthesis and respiration research. First, an outline of future climate change and its impacts on plant processes, functions, and yield potential is presented. Then, responses and adaptation of photosynthesis and respiration mechanisms against multiple stresses are discussed. Globally the present issues are crucial and this chapter helps in better understanding how plants deal with climatic change and their physiological, cellular, and molecular processes to the development of sustainable environment.

Trichoderma spp. were known to have antagonistic activity against against many soil borne diseases. In this experiment we have prepared five different formulations of Trichoderma asperellum and stored them in normal temperature. Later the efficacy of all the formulations were checked against sheath blight disease of rice both in-vitro and in-vivo. Among formulations the F5 [Trichoderma grown in potato dextrose broth (500ml) + Talc(500g)] treated plants showed very good result in managing sheath blight of rice by enhancing the plant height, total number of filled grains and root length. All the formulations performed significantly better than untreated control plants. The F5 treated plants were also recorded to have less disease incidence with increased yield as compared to other formulations.

Endophytes (“endo” = within, “phyte” = plant), are microorganisms (fungal and bacterial) that lives part of its life or complete its life cycle inside living plant tissue without causing overt negative symptoms. The distribution of endophytes is ubiquitous and almost without exception the endophytes have been reported from all tissues, including leaves, stems, roots, flowers and fruits. Endophytes (“Entophytae”) were first International Journal of Current Microbiology and Applied Sciences ISSN: 2319-7706 Volume 8 Number 07 (2019) Journal homepage: http://www.ijcmas.com

National food security systems largely depend on the production and productivity of rice which is challenged by biotic and abiotic stresses. Among biotic stresses, blast, a devastating fungal disease of rice is cosmopolite in its presence. A drought like situation also occurs at a similar temperature and moisture levels and aggravates blast disease. There are instances of occurrence of blast and drought on single crop that catapult the loss in yield. In the present study, the impact of isolates of endophytic fungus Trichoderma on rice response to drought and blast disease was investigated. Five different isolates of Trichoderma were used in the study, of which three [T-14, 94(A) and IRRI-2] were obtained from IRRI and two (OT-3 and OT-8) were isolated from native soil by serial dilution method. Seeds treated with five isolates were sown in different pots and further the crop was challenge inoculated with Pyricularia grisea and drought stress induced by withdrawing irrigation. The studies on biochemical parameters revealed an augmentation in CMS, phenol, peroxidase, chitinase and SOD which were known to alleviate these stresses through various mechanisms. The study also revealed a reduction in the level of oxidative chemicals like ascorbate peroxidase, proline, malondialdehyde and hydrogen peroxide due to interference of Trichoderma spp.