Biocontrol of Bacillus subtilis against Fusarium verticillioides in vitro and at maize root level

LILIA CAVAGLIERI, JULIETAORLANDO, MARÍA INÉS RODRÍGUEZ, SOFÍA CHULZE AND MIRIAM ETCHEVERRY

RESEARCH IN MICROBIOLOGY

Elsevier

Lugar: Londres (Inglaterra); Año: 2005 vol. 156 p. 748 - 756

0923-2508

Bacillus species, as a group, offer several advantages over other bacteria for protection against root pathogens because of their ability to form endospores and the broad-spectrum activity of their antibiotics. The objectives of this work were to determine the ability of strains of Bacillus to inhibit the F. verticillioides growth and fumonisin B1 accumulation in vitro and to evaluate the ability of the best bacterium to prevent the rhizosphere and endorhizosphere colonisation by F. verticillioides. Bacterial populations from the maize rhizoplane were obtained and ten Bacillus strains ability to inhibit the fungal growth and fumonisin B1 accumulation in vitro was assayed. According to these results, B. subtilis CE1 was selected as the best antagonist to test the maize root colonization of F. verticillioides. B. subtilis CE1 at 108 and 107 CFU ml-1 inocula was able to reduce the rhizoplane and endorhizosphere colonisation of F. verticillioides in greenhouse trials. The strain B. subtilis CE1 could be a potential biological control agent over F. verticillioides at the root level.