BamFx Induced Resistance by Seed Priming Method against Fusarium sp. in Cajanus cajan (L.) Mill sp.

Background: Pigeon pea [Cajanus cajan (L.) Mill sp.] enriches the soil through symbiotic nitrogen fixation. The pigeon pea plants are susceptible to a number of pathogenic fungi including Aspergillus sp. and Fusarium sp. Bam-FX® is a micromineral formulation that directly affects the physiological mechanisms and innate immune system of plants to help them overcome both abiotic and biotic stresses without the need for any form of genetic modification. Methods: In this study, we have tested different dilutions to soak the pigeon pea seeds. On 21th day, optimum germination (94%) was found in seeds treated with BamFX (1:1000) compared to 75% germination in untreated seeds. Result: The fungi were isolated from the soil and identified using 18s rRNA gene sequencing. The seedlings in BamFx treated groups were found resistant to pathogenic fungi, whereas, more than 97% in the untreated groups were found infected or diseased. The increased germination efficiency and resistance to fungal infections in BamFx treated seedlings proved a priming effect due to BamFx in pigeon pea seeds.