Use of plant growth promoting rhizobacteria (PGPR) is recently being studied for their ability to enhance growth of various plant species. Native bacteria with multiple PGPR attributes and ACC deaminase activity could be added advantage for making an isolate more potential PGPR. Five isolates with multiple PGPR traits and ACC deaminase activity were evaluated for their ability to show increase in plant growth. Results indicate that isolates IS-7 and IS-74 identified as Bacillus halotolerans (Accession No. OR593309) and Enterobacter hormaechei respectively were efficient compared to control plants and other isolates. Also, ability of these isolates in accumulation of total soluble sugars, proline and increased relative water content (RWC) of chilli indicate that they could be potential agents for alleviation of stress conditions

Purple blotch disease has become a very serious disease of onion causing considerable yield loss in onion production. In the absence of resistant cultivars, management of Purple blotch disease has relied principally on application of synthetic fungicides. The present study evaluated the efficacy of resistance inducers on purple blotch disease and investigated the effects on the yield of onion bulbs. The field experiment used a randomized block design, with five treatments and four replications in subtropical climatic condition of West Bengal at Regional Research Sub-Station (R & L Zone), Bidhan Chandra Krishi Viswavidyalaya, Sekhampur, Birbhum, West Bengal, India during Rabi, 2021 and Rabi, 2022. Among the plant inducers, two foliar sprays at 30 days after planting and 60 days after planting with Chitosan @ 0.1 % was best followed by Salicylic acid @ 150 ppm and Benzoic acid @ 0.15 % to manage the purple blotch disease of onion. The findings of the present study demonstrated a promising approach of management of purple blotch disease of onion with resistance inducers