Pseudomonas fluorescens isolated from rhizosphere of healthy groundnut plants were screened for their antagonistic activity towards the crown rot pathogen Aspergillus niger in Arachis hypogaea L. Invitro assay revealed that 3% (5/60) of the isolates were antagonistic in nature and they were tested for their ability to produce mycolytic enzymes namely protease, lipase and secondary metabolites such as Hydrogen cyanide (HCN), Salicylic acid (SA) and iron chelating Siderophores using standard protocols. Maximum production of mycolytic enzymes (Protease - 48.7U/ml; Lipase – 4.2U/ml) and secondary metabolites (HCN – 0.0.8 Abs625; SA – 6.14 mg/ml; Siderophores – 4.92 μ mol benzoic acid/ml) were found with Pseudomonas fluorescens 04, an assert for biocontrol of phytopathogens, when put in to practice.
