Soil amendment with Chenopodium album mitigated the deleterious effects of Fusarium wilt in chilies by modulating the biochemical and physiological attributes

The use of synthetic fungicides to control Fusarium wilt disease in chili (Capsicum annuum L.) caused by Fusarium oxysporum f. sp. capsici (Foc) has detrimental effects, indicating the need for nature friendly alternatives. So, in the present study, antifungal activity of Chenopodium album L. was investigated against the Fusarium wilt of chilies under pot conditions, employing 2 concentrations of C. album and Foc. The treatments were also included to investigate the individual effects of dead Foc (DFoc) as well as C. album to evaluate their effects on the morphological, biochemical and physiological attributes of chili plants. One percent of C. album concentration exhibited positive allelopathy, thereby significantly controlled the wilt disease in chili plants, leading to increases in plant height, dry biomass, chlorophyll a (Chl a), chlorophyll b (Chl b), and carotenoid content by 20, 13, 43, 35, and 8%, respectively, as compared to Foc1. Additionally, the C. album amendment spiked the activities of antioxidants, such as superoxide dismutase (SOD), peroxidase (POD), and catalase (CAT), by 13, 20, and 26%, respectively, and significantly enhanced the photosynthetic rate (Pn), transpiration rate (E), stomatal conductance (gs), and intercellular CO2 (Ci) by 20, 29, 20, and 4%, respectively, in comparison to chili plants inoculated with Foc1.