Biological control of Fusarium wilt of pigeonpea Cajanus cajan (L.) Millsp with chitinolytic Alcaligenes xylosoxydans.

Alcaligenes xylosoxydans protected pigeonpea from Fusarium wilt in a pot experiment and field trials. When seeds of pigeonpea (C. cajan) were treated with A. xylosoxydans and sown in soil infested with Fusarium, the incidence of wilt was reduced by 43.5% and resulted in 58% higher grain yield. The antifungal activity of A. xylosoxydans was based on chitinase production and was comparable in efficacy to commercial antifungal agents such as benlate, monitor WP, thiram and bavistin.