ABSTRACT The role of microorganisms with beneficial effects in enhancing wheat seed germination, as well as in checking seed‐borne fungal pathogens, was evaluated. Pathogens ( Fusarium oxysporum , Fusarium solani , Zymoseptoria tritici , Phoma sp. and Alternaria alternata ) were isolated and molecularly identified. Beneficial isolates of Bacillus subtilis , Pseudomonas fluorescens , Pseudomonas putida , Penicillium sp. and Aspergillus flavus were screened for growth promotion. Inoculation with A. flavus maximally promoted the elongation of roots (17.07 cm) and shoots (11.2 cm) compared to the control. Among the bacterial isolates, P. fluorescens B6 exhibited the most reaction, with root and shoot lengths of 14.09 and 15.49 cm, respectively. Co‐inoculation of P. fluorescens B6 and A. flavus in pots recorded the highest shoot height (81.78 cm), root length (58 cm), biomass and grain weight increase, along with reduced pathogen infection. These findings demonstrate the promising combined application of fungal–bacterial bioinoculants as an eco‐friendly strategy to improve wheat growth, vigour and overall plant health.
Rashid et al. (Sun,) studied this question.