THE IMPACT OF CYANOBACTERIA ON EARLY GROWTH AND PATHOGEN ATTACK IN THE GERMINATION OF SWEET CORN (Zea mays L.)
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.24246/agric.2026.v38.i1.p1-12Keywords:
biological agent, biofertilizer, cyanobacteria, germination growth, sweet corn (Zea mays L)Abstract
Corn (Zea mays L.) is a major cereal crop, with increasing global demand for direct consumption, food industry, and animal feed. However, sweet corn, usually for direct consumption, is highly susceptible to seed-borne pathogens, significantly reducing germination and seedling vigor. Cyanobacteria are known as biofertilizers and biological agents that offer promising solutions. This study aimed to evaluate the effects of cyanobacteria isolates on germination, early growth, and resistance of sweet corn seedlings to seed-borne pathogens. Eleven cyanobacteria isolates, sourced from soil and corn roots in Grobogan, Central Java, were tested in a completely randomized (CRD) experiment with four replications. The results showed that isolates S2, S6, and S10 significantly increased germination rate and early seedling vigor compared to the control treatment. In particular, S2 achieved the highest germination rate 6 days after sowing (DAS), while isolates such as S11 consistently showed minimal or inhibitory effects. Cyanobacterial treatment reduced seed-borne pathogen infections, including Fusarium sp. and Aspergillus flavus, and bacteria by 5–9%, while the control infection rate was 15%. Isolates S2 and S10 reduced disease incidence by 40% and 60%, respectively, making them potential biological control agents. In addition, cyanobacteria significantly increased plant growth parameters, including plant height, root length, and biomass. Isolate S6 significantly increased shoot dry weight by 95.6% compared to the control. This study confirmed the dual role of cyanobacteria in promoting seed germination and biological control of seed-borne pathogens. Future studies should optimize application techniques to improve efficacy under field conditions.
Downloads
References
Adelia, A. & Rahmawati, N., 2022. Pertanian Patogen Tular Benih pada Praktek Penyimpanan dan Uji Mutu Benihnya Seed Transmitted Pathogens on Storage Practices and Seed Quality Testing. BIOFARM Jurnal Ilmiah, 18(1).
Alvarez, A., Weyers, S. & Gardner, R., 2023. Cyanobacteria-based soil amendments in the soil-plant system: Effects of inoculations on soil nutrient and microbial dynamics under spring wheat growth. Algal Research, 77.
Cardarelli, M. et al., 2022. Seed Treatments with Microorganisms Can Have a Biostimulant Effect by Influencing Germination and Seedling Growth of Crops. Plants, 11(3).
EL-Zawawy, H.A., 2019. Effect of Nitrogen-Fixing Cyanobacteria on the Growth of Wheat Crop. Journal of Agricultural Chemistry and Biotechnology, 10(11), pp.221–225.
Erasto, R., Kilasi, N. & Madege, R.R., 2023. Prevalence and Management of Phytopathogenic Seed-Borne Fungi of Maize. Seeds, 2(1), pp.30–42.
Erenstein, O. et al., 2022. Global maize production, consumption and trade: trends and R&D implications. Food Security, 14(5), pp.1295–1319. Available at: https://doi.org/10.1007/s12571-022-01288-7
Filho, R.C. et al., 2023. Fusarium sacchari associated with stem rot in sweet corn in Brazil. Pesquisa Agropecuaria Tropical, 53, pp.1–5.
Ghazal, M.F., Shaheen, A.A.E. & Salem, G.M., 2022. Influence of Cyanobacterial Inoculum on the Growth Features and Yield of Peanut Plants in Sandy Soil. Asian Soil Research Journal, 6(4), pp.1–11.
Hanif, A. & Susanti, R., 2019. Inventarisasi Dan Identifikasi Cendawan Patogen Terbawa Benih Jagung (Zea Mays L.) Lokal Asal Sumatera Utara Dengan Metode Blotter Test. Jurnal Pertanian Tropik, 6(2), pp.311–318.
Kiri, I.Z., 2023. A Review on Plant Root Architecture and Methods for Measuring Root Growth Parameters. Dutse Journal of Pure and Applied Sciences, 9(1a), pp.57–66.
Kumar, M. & Chaurasiya, D.K., 2020. Infection of Seed and Transmission of Seed Borne Pathogens. Biotica Research Today, 2(5 Spl.), pp.338–340. Available at: https://www.biospub.com/index.php/biorestoday/article/view/185.
Kurniadinata, O.F. & Palupi, N.P., 2017. Studi Performa Akar Jagung ( Zea mays L .) pada Aplikasi Pupuk Organik dan Anorganik. AgroPet, 14(2), pp.30–40.
Machado-de-Lima, N.M. et al., 2023. Seed biopriming at different concentrations to assess the effects of Cyanobacteria on germination and seedling performance of keystone arid species. Journal of Sustainable Agriculture and Environment, 2(3), pp.266–275.
Menamo, Muluneh and Wolde, Z., 2015. Effect of Cyanobacteria Application as Biofertilizer on Growth, Yield and Yield Components of Romaine Lettuce (Lactuca sativa L.) on Soils of Ethiopia. American Scientific Research Journal for Engineering, Technology, and Sciences (ASRJETS), 4(1), pp.50–58.
Múnera-Porras, L.M., García-Londoño, S. & Ríos-Osorio, L.A., 2020. Action mechanisms of plant growth promoting cyanobacteria in crops in situ: A systematic review of literature. International Journal of Agronomy, 2020.
Prasanna, R. et al., 2013. Deciphering the biochemical spectrum of novel cyanobacterium-based biofilms for use as inoculants. Biological Agriculture and Horticulture, 29(3), pp.145–158.
Prasanna, R. et al., 2018. Mode of application influences the biofertilizing efficacy of cyanobacterial biofilm formulations in chrysanthemum varieties under protected cultivation. Open Agriculture, 3(1), pp.478–489.
Rehman, F.U. et al., 2021. Seed-Borne Fungal Diseases of Maize (Zea mays L.): A Review. Agrinula : Jurnal Agroteknologi dan Perkebunan, 4(1), pp.43–60.
Renganathan, P. et al., 2024. Phycoremediated Microalgae and Cyanobacteria Biomass as Biofertilizer for Sustainable Agriculture : A Holistic Biorefinery Approach to Promote Circular Bioeconomy. Biomass, 4, pp.1047–1077.
Ridout, M., Godfrey, B. & Newcombe, G., 2019. toxins E ff ects of Disruption of Five FUM Genes on. Toxins, 11, pp.1–15. Available at: http//www.mdpi.com/journals/toxins.
Righini, H. & Roberti, R., 2019. Algae and Cyanobacteria as Biocontrol Agents of Fungal Plant Pathogens, Springer, Cham.
Robati, S., 2024. Insights Into Algae - Fundamentals, Culture Techniques and Biotechnological Uses of Microalgae and Cyanobacteria I. A. Severo, ed., United States of America: Intechopen.
Shaheen, A., Salem, G. & Ghazal, M., 2022. Impact of Cyanobacterial Inoculant on Growth and Productivity of Peanut Plants in Sandy Soil. Biotechnology Journal International, 26(4), pp.38–47.
Shestakov, S. & Karbysheva, E., 2017. The origin and evolution of cyanobacteria Y. A. Kriksunov, ed., Springer International Publishing.
Singh, R. et al., 2017. Uncovering potential applications of cyanobacteria and algal metabolites in biology, agriculture and medicine: Current status and future prospects. Frontiers in Microbiology, 8(APR), pp.1–37.
Sivalingam, K. & Delfe, K., 2019. Isolation and Identification of Cyanobacteria and Its Impact on Seed Germination Potential of Maize (Zea mays L.) Using Seed Germination Experiment. International Journal of Engineering Applied Sciences and Technology, 04(07), pp.65–72.
Suresh, A. et al., 2019. Evaluation and characterization of the plant growth promoting potentials of two heterocystous cyanobacteria for improving food grains growth. Biocatalysis and Agricultural Biotechnology, 17(December 2018), pp.647–652. Available at: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.bcab.2019.01.002.
Tantawy, S., 2011. Biological potential of cyanobacterial metabolites against some soil pathogenic fungi. JFAE, 9(1), pp.663–666.
Tiwari, A.K., 2020. Advances in Seed Production and Management. Advances in Seed Production and Management, (February), pp.1–626.
Zhang, N., Li, X. & Lu, W., 2013. Disease Couse by Oomycetes. Plant Dis, 108(2), pp.435–463
Downloads
Published
How to Cite
Issue
Section
License
Copyright (c) 2026 Agric
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
