• The Plant Pathology Journal
• /
• v.38 no.4
• /
• pp.313-322
• /
• 2022

Seed-borne pathogens in crops reduce the seed germination rate and hamper seedling growth, leading to significant yield loss. Due to the growing concerns about environmental damage and the development of resistance to agrochemicals among pathogen populations, there is a strong demand for eco-friendly alternatives to synthetic chemicals in agriculture. It has been well established during the last few decades that plant seeds harbor diverse microbes, some of which are vertically transmitted and important for plant health and productivity. In this study, we isolated culturable endophytic bacteria and fungi from soybean seeds and evaluated their antagonistic activities against common bacterial and fungal seed-borne pathogens of soybean. A total of 87 bacterial isolates and 66 fungal isolates were obtained. Sequencing of 16S rDNA and internal transcribed spacer amplicon showed that these isolates correspond to 30 and 15 different species of bacteria and fungi, respectively. Our antibacterial and antifungal activity assay showed that four fungal species and nine bacterial species have the potential to suppress the growth of at least one seed-borne pathogen tested in the study. Among them, Pseudomonas koreensis appears to have strong antagonistic activities across all the pathogens. Our collection of soybean seed endophytes would be a valuable resource not only for studying biology and ecology of seed endophytes but also for practical deployment of seed endophytes toward crop protection.

• Research in Plant Disease
• /
• v.14 no.1
• /
• pp.43-50
• /
• 2008

Rhizoctonia blight (large patch) caused by Rhizoctonia solani AG2-2 is one of the major diseases on zoysiagrass in golf courses. In this study, anatgonistic bacteria to R. solani AG2-2 were selected in vitro tests using confrontation bioassay and triple layer agar diffusion method. The most active bacteria, Bacillus subtilis CJ-9 were tested for controlling large patch in pots. Relative Performance Indies (RPI) was used as a criterion for the selection of potential biocontrol agent. B. subtilis CJ-9 showed resistance to major synthetic agrochemicals used in golf course. In field tests at golf course, B. subtilis CJ-9 was more effective in suppression of large patch severity and population development of R. solani AG2-2 in soil than chemical fungicides. B. subtilis CJ-9 could be an alternative to chemical fungicides for eco-friendly management of large patch on zoysiagrass.