Research Projects

Bacterial wilt caused by Ralstonia solanacearum poses a significant challenge to the cultivation of solanaceous crops such as tomato, chili, and eggplant, leading to severe yield losses globally. Traditional management approaches, including chemical pesticides and resistant cultivars, have shown limited success due to the pathogen's adaptability and persistence in soil. This project aims to address this challenge by mining microbial volatilomes to identify and characterize novel volatile organic compounds (VOCs) or blends produced during microbial interactions that exhibit potent biocontrol activity against R. solanacearum. Advanced analytical techniques, such as gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS) and volatilomics profiling, will be employed to decode the chemical signatures of these VOCs and their inhibitory effects on the pathogen. In addition to pathogen suppression, the project will investigate the role of these microbial VOCs in inducing systemic resistance in solanaceous crops, focusing on their influence on plant signaling pathways and the expression of key defense-related genes. This understanding will contribute to the development of innovative, eco-friendly biocontrol solutions that align with sustainable agricultural practices. The project also emphasizes translating these findings into practical applications by developing formulations of microbial VOCs or their synthetic analogs. Integrating microbial ecology, chemical biology, and plant pathology, this study offers a holistic approach to managing bacterial wilt while reducing dependency on harmful chemical pesticides. This research holds the potential to transform bacterial wilt management in solanaceous crops, providing farmers with reliable, cost-effective, and environmentally sustainable solutions. Objectives: 1. To identify and characterize novel microbial VOC signatures with biocontrol potential against Ralstonia solanacearum in Tomato crop. 2. To analyze the effect of microbial VOCs on activating systemic resistance in Tomato crops, emphasizing specific signaling pathways and defense gene expression The proposed project addresses critical gaps in the sustainable management of Ralstonia solanacearum. Despite extensive research on microbial volatiles and their biocontrol potential, the specific role of interaction-derived volatiles—compounds produced during dynamic interactions between beneficial microbes and the pathogen—remains underexplored. While studies have identified individual volatile organic compounds (VOCs) with antimicrobial properties, there is limited understanding of how these compounds are modulated in microbial consortia or during direct pathogen confrontations. This project introduces the novel concept of mining interaction-derived volatiles, offering a dual advantage: identifying new bioactive compounds and understanding their ecological significance in the rhizosphere.