Biological control of Botrytis cinerea on tomato using antagonistic bacteria

Botrytis cinerea infects stems and leaves of greenhouse tomatoes and can cause serious economic losses. This study was conducted to develop environment-friendly control method against tomato gray mold. Antagonistic microorganisms (bacteria) were screened for control activity against Botrytis cinerea, both in vitro and in vivo, using stem sections. One hundred bacterial strains were isolated from the rhizospheric soil of various plants including tomato. These strains were screened for growth inhibition of Botrytis cinerea on agar plate by the dual culture and thirty strains showing strongly inhibitory effect against the pathogen were selected first. Among thirty strains, JB 5-12, JB 22-2, JB 22-3, U 4-8 and U46-6 reduced significantly disease incidence, when applied simultaneously with the pathogen. These results suggested that five antagonistic bacteria strains selected have the potential to control tomato gray mold in organic farming.