Institutional Publications

Permanent URI for this collectionhttps://ndkr-library.nipgr.ac.in/handle/123456789/11

Browse

Filter results by typing the first few letters
Now showing 1 - 2 of 2
  • No Thumbnail Available
    Item
    Extracellular acidification assay to evaluate the effectiveness of antifungal agents on the pathogenicity of Macrophomina phaseolina
    (Springer Nature Publishing AG, 2026) Acharya, Krishna Ramakrishnan; Chilakala, Aswin Reddy; Senthil-Kumar, Muthappa
    Macrophomina phaseolina is a fungus that causes dry root rot disease and considerable yield loss worldwide. Fungi exhibit various ways of absorbing nutrients through their plasma membrane, such as free or facilitated diffusion, diffusion channels, or active transport. Glucose, as a preferred carbon source, activates the plasma membrane H+-ATPase, resulting in the release of protons. Consequently, the protons, along with the organic acid metabolites released into the extracellular environment, acidify the cell surroundings. This decrease in pH cues the fungus to shift from saprotrophic to necrotrophic growth, facilitating host invasion. Sustainable dry root rot disease management often relies on the employment of antifungal agents from various biological sources. Despite the discovery of numerous antifungal agents, only a limited number have been evaluated for their efficacy against this phytopathogenic fungus. This scarcity of testing is primarily due to the limitations of existing methods, which often lack standardisation and reproducibility. This chapter introduces a rapid and sensitive method to assess the antifungal activity of various agents against M. phaseolina. By measuring extracellular pH changes after treatment in the presence of a nutrient source, we can determine the inhibitory concentrations of these agents and evaluate their potential for controlling fungal pathogenicity in plants.
  • No Thumbnail Available
    Item
    Plant biotic stress: tools and techniques for crop protection
    (Springer Nature Publishing AG, 2026) Acharya, Krishna Ramakrishnan; Chilakala, Aswin Reddy; Senthil-Kumar, Muthappa
    As climate change continues to impact crop yields, developing strategies to enhance plant tolerance to biotic stress has become increasingly important. This requires a thorough evaluation of the tools and methodologies used to manipulate and study biotic stress tolerance. It is crucial to comprehensively understand both conventional and modern techniques, as well as their effectiveness in addressing the specific needs of the crop under study. Detecting diseases at the early stages of plant development can prevent significant losses in large-scale cultivations. Two broad approaches commonly used to mitigate biotic stresses are eliminating causative agents such as fungi, bacteria, nematodes, viruses, or pests, and imparting resistance to the plant. Although there are similarities in the tools and techniques used to address different biotic stresses, each scenario requires dedicated case studies. It is also essential to stay up to date with the latest developments in plant biotechnology to incorporate a cross-disciplinary approach in conducting and validating experiments. This chapter provides an overview of methods covered in this book ranging from molecular breeding to nondestructive techniques that help achieve the goal of safeguarding plant health.