Fungal cell wall oligosaccharides are being focused on the biological management of crop diseases by elicitation of defense responses. In the present study, an approach was taken to enhance the pearl millet disease resistance using biotic elicitors for eco-friendly management against downy mildew pathogen through seed priming approach. Crude oligosaccharides treatment extracted from four different Trichoderma spp. enhances the disease protection ability in pearl millet. Seed priming with T. asperellum along with the osmopriming agent, mannitol has shown better protection with improved seedling vigor compared to controls. Modulation of defensive enzymes such as peroxidase and lipoxygenase also confirms the elicitation of resistance responses in the host with increased enzyme activity at different time interval patterns.
Key words: Trichoderma spp., Oligosaccharides, Sclerospora graminicola, mannitol, osmopriming, defense enzymes.
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