Biological control of phytopathogenic fungi by Bacillus amyloliquefaciens 7079; suppression rates are better than popular chemical fungicides

Abstract

Rhizobacteria are actively sought for the substitution of chemical fertilizers and pathogen control agents in environment-friendly sustainable agriculture. To be successfully commercialized in the current Korean market as agriculture biomaterials, microbial agents should exhibit both properties of plant growth promotion and pathogen control. That is the organism must be a phytostimulator as well as a biocontrol agent. These criteria and the survival rate of a rhizobacterium, Bacillus amyloliquefaciens 7079, in the soil system were investigated to evaluate the suitability for future commercialization. B. amyloliqnefaciens 7079-treated seedlings showed 22.8% maximum increase in leaf-length growth, compared with water-treated controls, showing the phytostimulating property. The disease suppression rates of Phytophthora-blight of peppers and Fusarium-wilt of tomatoes by B. amyloliquefaciens 7079 were 1.5 and 2.2 times better, respectively, than by three popular chemical fungicides used in actual agricultural practices to control the respective pathogens. Survival of B. amyloliquefaciens 7079 on the rhizoplane and in the rhizosphere was favorable up to 50 days in the soil system employed. These positive properties show that B. amyloliquefaciens 7079 is likely to be a suitable candidate for commercialization to market as agricultural biomaterials.