Sunflower (Helianthus annuus L.), a member of the Asteraceae, is one of the major oilseed crops around the world. Charcoal rot caused by Macrophomina phaseolina (Tassi) Goid is the most damaging disease of sunflowers globally. Fungicides are mostly used to control charcoal rot; however, these cause environmental pollution and pose adverse effects on the ecosystem. Therefore, ecofriendly management options are inevitable for the management of charcoal rot disease. Plant mineral nutrition, the use of plant growth-promoting rhizobacteria and biochar have recently been manipulated for the management of different plant diseases. However, the interactive effects of all these treatments have rarely been tested on charcoal rot suppression in sunflowers. This study assessed the influence of sulfur (0 and 2.25 mg/kg) combined with farmyard manure biochar (2%), NPK (20:20:20 mg/kg) and three different plant growth-promoting rhizobacteria (PGPR) strains on the charcoal rot suppression growth, yield, biochemistry and physiology of sunflower. The PGPR strains included in the study were Bacillus sp. strain MR-1/2 (regarded as PGPR1), Achromobacter sp. strain FB-14 (regarded as PGPR2) and Planomicrobium sp. strain MSSA-10 (regarded as PGPR3). The charcoal rot infestation was induced by inoculating the soil with M. phaseolina, and the impacts of the different treatments were studied on the disease infestation, growth, yield, biochemistry and physiology of sunflowers under 0 and 2.25-mg/kg S application. The results revealed that farmyard manure biochar and Planomicrobium sp. strain MSSA-10 in combination with 2.25-mg/kg S proved effective for the management of charcoal rot disease through regulating the antioxidant enzymes’ activities and strengthening the immune system of sunflower plants. The studied health markers (total chlorophyll content and carotenoids) and stress markers (total protein content, catalase and peroxidase) were significantly altered by the applied treatments under 0 and 2.25-mg/kg S applications. The findings of the experiment indicated that both farmyard manure biochar and Planomicrobium sp. strain MSSA-10, combined with 2.25-mg/kg S, could be used to enhance the crop yield and manage charcoal rot disease in sunflowers. Farmyard manure biochar and Planomicrobium sp. strain MSSA-10 are an easy-to-apply, cost-effective, ecofriendly and sustainable option for the management of charcoal rot disease in sunflowers.

中文翻译：

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硫应用结合 Planomicrobium sp。菌株 MSSA-10 和农家肥 Biochar 有助于管理向日葵 (Helianthus annuus L.) 的炭腐病

向日葵（Helianthus annuus L.）是菊科的一员，是世界上主要的油料作物之一。由Macrophomina phaseolina引起的木炭腐烂(Tassi) Goid 是全球向日葵最具破坏性的病害。杀菌剂多用于防治木炭腐烂；然而，这些会造成环境污染并对生态系统造成不利影响。因此，对于木炭腐烂病的管理，生态友好的管理选择是不可避免的。植物矿物营养、促进植物生长的根际细菌和生物炭的使用最近已被用于管理不同的植物病害。然而，所有这些处理的交互作用很少对向日葵的木炭腐烂抑制进行测试。本研究评估了硫（0 和 2.25 毫克/千克）与农家肥生物炭（2%）、NPK（20:20:20 毫克/千克）和三种不同的植物促进根际细菌 (PGPR) 菌株对木炭腐烂抑制生长，产量，向日葵的生物化学和生理学。研究中包括的 PGPR 菌株是芽孢杆菌属。菌株 MR-1/2（视为 PGPR1），无色杆菌属。菌株 FB-14（被视为 PGPR2）和Planomicrobium sp。菌株 MSSA-10（视为 PGPR3）。通过在土壤中接种小菜豆诱导炭腐病侵染，并研究了在施用 0 和 2.25 mg/kg S 时不同处理对向日葵病害侵染、生长、产量、生化和生理的影响。结果表明，农家肥biochar和Planomicrobiumsp. 菌株 MSSA-10 与 2.25-mg/kg S 的组合证明通过调节抗氧化酶的活性和加强向日葵植物的免疫系统对控制木炭腐烂病有效。所研究的健康标志物（总叶绿素含量和类胡萝卜素）和应激标志物（总蛋白含量、过氧化氢酶和过氧化物酶）在 0 和 2.25 毫克/千克硫应用下的应用处理显着改变。实验结果表明，农家肥biochar和Planomicrobium sp。菌株 MSSA-10 与 2.25-mg/kg S 结合可用于提高作物产量和控制向日葵的炭腐病。农家肥biochar和Planomicrobiumsp. MSSA-10 菌株是一种易于应用、具有成本效益、生态友好和可持续的选择，用于管理向日葵木炭腐烂病。