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Two plant growth-promoting rhizobacteria (PGPR), viz., Pseudomonas fluorescens strain Pf4 and P. aeruginosa strain Pag, protected chickpea ( Cicer arietinum) plants from Sclerotium rolfsii infection when applied singly or in combination as seed treatment. Pag gave the best protection to the seedlings, applied either singly (mortality 16%) or in combination with Pf4 (mortality 17%) compared with 44% and 24% mortality in control and Pf4 treatment, respectively. The two PGPR strains induced the synthesis of specific phenolic acids, salicylic acid (SA), as well as total phenolics at different growth stages of chickpea seedlings with varied amount. The maximum amount of total phenolics was recorded in all the aerial parts of 4-week-old plants. Gallic, ferulic, chlorogenic, and cinnamic acids were the major phenolic acids detected in high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) analysis. Induction of such phenolic acids in the seedlings was observed up to 6 weeks in comparison with control. Salicylic acid (SA) was induced frequently during the first 3 weeks of growth only. Between the two strains, Pag was more effective in inducing phenolic acid synthesis applied either singly or in combination with strain Pf4 during the entire 6 weeks of growth of chickpea. In the presence of a culture filtrate of S. rolfsii, the two Pseudomonas strains induced more phenolic acids in treated than in non-treated and control plants. The occurrence of salicylic acid was frequent in the first 24 h, but infrequent at 48 and 96 h. Foliar spray of Pseudomonas strains also enhanced the phenolic acid content as well as total phenolics within 24 h of application. Gallic, chlorogenic, and cinnamic acids were consistently discerned in the treated leaves, whereas SA was absent even up to 96 h of application. Resistance in chickpea plants by Pseudomonas strains through induction of phenolic compounds as well as induced systemic resistance via SA-dependent pathway was evident.

The indole alkaloid venenatine exhibited antifungal activity against some plant pathogenic and saprophytic fungi. Venenatine in an aqueous acetic acid solution inhibited spore germination of all the 10 tested fungi, Fusarium udum, Alternaria brassicicola, Ustilago cynodontis and Aspergillus flavus showed an especially high sensitivity towards this compound, exhibiting germination levels below 10%. The spore germination and colony development of the parasitic fungus Erysiphe pisi, which causes powdery mildew in pea (Pisum sativum), on excised leaves of pea was also significantly affected. Pre-inoculation rather than post inoculation treatment of the leaves was more inhibitory against spore germination and colony development.

Ajoene, a compound derived from garlic (Allium sativum L.), inhibited spore germination of some fungi, namely, Alternaria solani, Alternaria tenuissima, Alternaria triticina, Alternaria sp., Colletotrichum sp., Curvularia sp., Fusarium lini, Fusarium oxysporum, Fusarium semitectum, and Fusarium udum, which cause serious diseases in some important crop plants in India. The compound was very effective in checking spore germination at a concentration of 25 μg/mL in some of the above fungi and, in most cases, there was 100% inhibition of germination at 100 μg/mL. It is quite likely that the compound may be useful in controlling disease(s) under field conditions.

Tridentate ligand PhimpH having N(2)O donors binds to zinc(II) after deprotonation, affording novel diphenoxo-bridged dinuclear zinc complexes [Zn(2)(Phimp)(2)(ClO(4))(2)] (1) and [Zn(2)(Phimp)(2)(Cl)(2)] x CH(2)Cl(2) (2 x CH(2)Cl(2)). The molecular structure of 2 x CH(2)Cl(2) revealed some unique structural features. The phenoxyl-radical complexes were generated at room temperature, and these radical complexes exhibited nuclease activity with pBR322 DNA.

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