To Study the Culturable Bacterial Endophytes Community Diversity and Abundance Associated with Chrysanthemum (Dendranthema Grandiflora Tzvelev) Plant Grown Under Organic and Commercial Practices

Chrysanthemum (Dendranthema grandiflora Tzvelev) belongs to family Asteraceae and is a popular flower crop suitable for both pot culture and bedding purposes. The quality of flowers is greatly influenced by the quantity as well as sources of nutrients. Presently, these nutrients are supplied through chemical fertilizers. The escalating prices of chemical fertilizers and their indiscriminate use has not only adversely affects the soil health and environment but also reduces the productivity of crops. The situation emphasized the need for developing alternate production system that is eco-friendly and is more judicious in maintaining soil health. So, the present investigations were carried out to characterize and evaluate the effects of PGPB isolated from chrysanthemum plant (roots, stem and leaf) samples. Out of 143 purified isolates, a total of forty four (16 organic and 28 inorganic) morphologically distinct isolates with dominant PGP traits, isolated from different plant samples collected from different districts of Himachal Pradesh were selected for further screening for P-solubilization efficiency, siderophore, IAA, HCN, ammonia, lytic enzyme production and antagonism against Pythium ultimum, Rhizoctonia solani and Fusarium oxysporum under laboratory conditions. These selected forty four isolates were then assessed and compared to study the genetic diversity of culturable bacterial endophytes of chrysanthemum.