Publications of NIPGR Scientists

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    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.
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    Dry root rot disease: Current status and future implications for chickpea production
    (Springer Nature Publishing AG, 2023) Mirchandani, Rishabh; Irulappan, Vadivelmurugan; Chilakala, Aswin Reddy; Senthil-Kumar, Muthappa
    Chickpea is one of the most important food legumes in the world. Several abiotic and biotic factors limit chickpea yields, notably, heat, drought, and dry root rot (DRR) disease. The occurrence and severity of DRR are further magnified by abiotic stresses. This review highlights the current impact of DRR on chickpea production in India, the deepening of the economic losses caused by DRR owing to drought, and integrated management practices to curb DRR. Management strategies and research targeting this aspect are critical because the long-term consequences of this rapidly emerging disease could be severe owing to climate change.
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    Combined drought and heat stress influences the root water relation and determine the dry root rot disease development under field conditions: A study using contrasting chickpea genotypes
    (Frontiers Media S.A., 2022) Chilakala, Aswin Reddy; Mali, Komal Vitthalrao; Irulappan, Vadivelmurugan; Patil, Basavanagouda S.; Pandey, Prachi; Rangappa, Krishnappa; Ramegowda, Venkategowda; Kumar, M. Nagaraj; Puli, Chandra Obul Reddy; Mohan-Raju, Basavaiah; Senthil-Kumar, Muthappa
    Abiotic stressors such as drought and heat predispose chickpea plants to pathogens of key importance leading to significant crop loss under field conditions. In this study, we have investigated the influence of drought and high temperature on the incidence and severity of dry root rot disease (caused by Macrophomina phaseolina) in chickpea, under extensive on- and off-season field trials and greenhouse conditions. We explored the association between drought tolerance and dry root rot resistance in two chickpea genotypes, ICC 4958 and JG 62, with contrasting resistance to dry root rot. In addition, we extensively analyzed various patho-morphological and root architecture traits altered by combined stresses under field and greenhouse conditions in these genotypes. We further observed the role of edaphic factors in dry root rot incidence under field conditions. Altogether, our results suggest a strong negative correlation between the plant water relations and dry root rot severity in chickpeas, indicating an association between drought tolerance and dry root rot resistance. Additionally, the significant role of heat stress in altering the dynamics of dry root rot and the importance of combinatorial screening of chickpea germplasm for dry root rot resistance, drought, and heat stress have been revealed.