Biological control of Sclerotinia sclerotiorum (Lib.) de Bary, the causal agent of white mould disease in red cabbage, by some bacteria

Abstract

Sclerotinia sclerotiorum (Lib.) de Bary is the causal agent of white mould, stem, and fruit rot diseases on a wide variety of crop plants including cabbage (Brassica oleracea L.) in field and storage. Control of this pathogen by using commercial disease management methods is extremely difficult. Therefore, this study was performed to develop an alternative and effective control method for the diseases by using biocontrol bacteria - Bacillus subtilis (strains TV-6F, TV-17C, TV-12H, BA-140 and EK-7), Bacillus megaterium (strains TV-103B), and Bacillus pumilus (strains RK-103) on Petri plate assays and on red cabbage in pot assays. On Petri plates, all of the tested bacterial strains showed the zone of inhibition against the pathogen fungus ranging 15.00-26.50 mm. Their percentage inhibition rates and lesion length ranged 42.64-79.41% and 0.02-4.50 cm in pot assays, respectively. Consequently, our results indicated that especially B. subtilis strains TV-17C, TV-12H, and TV-6F can be used as bio control agent of S. sclerotiorum in red cabbage production.