**Abstract**

*Fusarium* causing disease in maize is probably the one of the most serious diseases among the crop plants all over the world. It not only damages the maize plant, reduces its potential yield and its nutritional values but imposes threatening to the human life through the induction of mycotoxin development. *F*. *graminearum* and *F*. *moniliforme* syn. *Fusarium verticillioides* are two important maize pathogens that cause substantial damage to its ear, stalk and foliage, causing contamination of grains with mycotoxins. Since conventional methods of controlling the diseases including the chemical methods proved not enough for total control of the disease with creating situation even worse for our surroundings, the application of PGPR and PGPF can play significant role to control the damage caused by *Fusarium*.

**Keywords:** mycotoxin, PGPR, PGPF, *Fusarium verticillioides*, *F*. *graminearum*, pathogens

### **1. Introduction**

Maize is one of the most important cereal crop cultivated worldwide. It is popularly known as queen of cereals because it has highest population yield among the cereals [1]. Maize is the crop of diverse environmental conditions and now considered as one of the fastest growing cash crops in the world [2] and may play significant role to satisfy the ever increasing demand of world population. It is a multi-utility crop with major source of food, feed, fodder and industrial raw material which also provides huge opportunity to various stakeholders for crop diversification, value addition and employment generation [3, 4]. Maize plant is often induced by various types of naturally occurring pathogens like bacteria, virus, fungi and nematodes etc. and are detrimental to the yield and quality of grains and thereby subsequently affect the economy and threaten the food security around the globe [5]. Diseases are one of major obstacle in understanding the yield potential of maize. Among the disease causing pathogen in maize, fungal diseases caused by *Fusarium* spp. are most threatening not only to the plant but both animal and human's life are also equally intimidating. The contamination of human food and animal feed with mycotoxins produced by the *Fusarium* spp. incur various health issues in human and various livestock, such as equine leukoencephalomalacia, human esophageal and liver cancer etc. [6]. Despite of all these issues, the maize productivity over the years has been increased due to

green revolutionized availability of resistant variety and various synthetic fertilizers [7]. However, extensive and indiscriminate use of synthetic chemicals such as fertilizers and fungicides in order to improve the crop productivity has been very damaging not only to plant, man and animal but resulted adversely to many beneficial organism which includes rhizospheric microbial communities, pollinators, and competitors etc. [7, 8]. Therefore, application of microbes both PGPF and PGPR as biofertilizers is the only way out solve the problems which can play significant role in sustainable agriculture of maize plant without disturbing the surrounding environment. Along with application of biocontrol agent, diagnosis of the disease for proper identification is also very important part of eradication of pathogen. The proper identification of pathogen ensures the proper application of biocontrol agents. These microbes introduced to the soil in various form and by different techniques, interact with host plant and initiate cascade of reactions promoting the plant growth and impart defense responses [9]. Recently both PGPF and PGPR have attracted worldwide attention because of its eco-friendly nature, low cost and easy application. It is reported that many species of *Trichoderma*, *Penicillium*, *Phoma*, *Burkholderi*a, *Bacillus*, *Pseudomonas cepacia* are effective against *Fusarium* spp. through the production of various defense enzyme such as chitinase, peroxidase, phenylalanine ammonia lyase and β-1,3-glucanase etc. [9–12]. In addition, the plant growth promoting fungi and plant promoting bacteria are well known for plant growth promoting activity through the production of plant growth hormone like IAA, cytokinins, gibberelins; siderophore secretion, hydrocyanic acid (HCN) production, phosphate solubilization and nutrient uptake which indirectly boost the host plant for the defense against pathogen [13].
