Influence of Water and Soil Temperature on the Concentration and Efficacy of Phenamiphos for Control of Root-Knot Nematodes

Field plots of Tifton loamy sand were treated with phenamiphos for control of root-knot nematodes in a multiple-crop system of turnips, field corn, and southern peas. Preplant applications of phenamiphos protected roots of turnips and corn from damage by root-knot nematodes. Concentrations of phenamiphos at application in the 0-15-cm soil layer were near 6 μg/g on turnips and near 4 μg/g on corn and southern peas. After 30 d, concentrations were approximately 1 μg phenamiphos/g of soil for all crops. Concentrations of 2.0-3.8 μg phenamiphos/g of soil for 9-d duration appeared to be adequate for control of root-knot nematodes on field corn and southern peas in this multiple-crop system. Stepwise regression analyses indicated that 31%, 62%, and 22% of the variations in concentration of phenamiphos in the soil planted to turnips, corn, and southern peas, respectively, were attributable to the amount of water that the plots received. Soil temperature had no effect on concentrations of phenamiphos.     

Growth of Potato and Control of Pratylenchus penetrans with Oxamyl-treated Seed Pieces in Greenhouse Studies

Oxamyl was applied to both uncut and cut potato tubers in aqueous solutions of 1,000 to 32,000 μg/ml. Emergence in greenhouse pots was delayed for a day or more after soaking cut tuber pieces in 32,000 μg/ml. After 10 weeks plant growth was greater, relative to the control, when Pratylenchus penetrans-infested soil was planted with cut tubers soaked for 20 minutes in 32,000 μg/ml. Soaking for 40 minutes did not increase nematode control nor affect plant growth. Oxamyl applied to tubers at 1,000 μg/ml reduced the numbers of P. penetrans in the soil by 20% and in the roots by 35%; at 32,000 μg/ml, the numbers of P. penetrans in the soil were reduced by 73-86% and in the roots by 86-97%. The numbers of P. penetrans did not increase in the roots of plants developed from cut tubers soaked in 32,000 μg/ml over a period of 10 weeks, but numbers of lesion nematodes had begun to increase in the soil.     

Residues of Aldicarb and its Oxides in Beta vulgaris L. and Systemic Control of Heterodera schachtii

Altlicarb residues in foliage of Beta vulgaris L. 21 days after transplanting to soil treated with 1-5 μg aldicarb/g soil were proportional to residues in storage roots, but 20 times as great. Initial concentrations of residues in roots 21 days after treatment were proportional to applied rates but declined by 56% when roots were stored 25 days at 24 C. Mean respective concentrations of aldicarb, aldicarb sulfoxide, and aldicarb sulfone were 8.7, 81.6, and 9.8% of the total residues. In separate tests, equivalent concentrations of toxic carbamates in roots resulted in similar levels of control of Heterodera schachtii. Systemic levels that completely suppressed development of females and males on sectioned roots were respectively 0.35 and 0.8 μg/g of root tissue.     

Gonococcal Antibiotic Resistance in Los Angeles

One hundred and thirty-five gonococcal isolates collected from Los Angeles in 1972 were studied for antibiotic susceptibility to penicillin, ampicillin, carbenicillin, tetracycline, minocycline, doxycycline and spectinomycin. Only 12 percent of the isolates were sensitive to 0.05 μg per ml of penicillin while 35 percent required at least 0.5 μg per ml for inhibition of growth. The results were slightly better with ampicillin and nearly the same with carbenicillin. Nineteen percent of the isolates required at least 1.0 μg per ml of tetracycline for inhibition of growth and the results were similar with either minocycline or doxycycline. Forty-nine percent were sensitive to 2.0 μg per ml spectinomycin, but 37 percent required at least 8.0 μg per ml for inhibition of growth.In this study nine of eleven isolates resistant to 1.0 μg per ml of tetracycline were also resistant to both penicillin and spectinomycin. Six came from endocervical sites of female patients who contributed only 37 percent of the total number of isolates studied.Correlation between the agar dilution and disc diffusion methods was satisfactory with penicillin but not with ether tetracycline or spectinomycin.     

Effects of Oxamyl on the Citrus Nematode,Tylenchulus semipenetrans,and on Infection of Sweet Orange

Foliar sprays of 4 μg/ml oxamyl on sweet orange trees in a greenhouse slightly depressed the number of Tylenchulus semipenetrans larvae obtained from roots and soil, but similar treatments were not effective in two orchards. Soil drench treatments decreased the number of citrus nematode larvae obtained from roots or soil of citrus plants grown itt a greenhouse and in orchards. Exposure to 5-10 μg/ml of oxamyl in water was lethal to only a few second-stage larvae treated 10 days, and many second-stage larvae in 2.0 μg/ml oxamyl recovered motility when transferred to fresh water. Aqueous solutions of 50 and 100 μg/ml of oxamyl were toxic to citrus nematode larvae. Additional observations indicate that oxamyl interfered with hatch of citrus nematode larvae and was nematistatic and/or protected sweet orange roots from infection. Oxamyl degraded at different rates in two soils. The number of citrus nematode larvae that infected and developed on sweet orange roots was increased by an undetermined product of the degradation of oxamyl in soil, water, and possibly within plants. This product apparently was translocated in roots.     

Enhanced Growth and Activity of a Biocontrol Bacterium Genetically Engineered To Utilize Salicylate

Plasmid NAH7 was transferred from Pseudomonas putida PpG7 to P. putida R20 [R20(NAH7)], an antagonist of Pythium ultimum. The plasmid did not affect growth or survival of R20(NAH7) and was stably maintained under nonselective conditions in broth and soil and on sugar beet seeds. Plasmid NAH7 conferred to R20(NAH7) the ability to utilize salicylate in culture, agricultural field soil, and on sugar beet seeds. The metabolic activity of R20(NAH7), but not the wild-type R20, was greatly increased in soil by amendment with salicylate (250 μg/g) as measured by induced respiration. Population densities of R20(NAH7) were also enhanced in salicylate-amended soil, increasing from approximately 1 × 10⁵ CFU/g to approximately 3 × 10⁸ CFU/g after 35 h of incubation. In contrast, population densities of R20(NAH7) in nonamended soil were approximately 3 × 10⁶ CFU/g of soil after 35 h of incubation. The concentration of salicylate in soil affected the rate and extent of population increase by R20(NAH7). At 50 to 250 μg of salicylate per g of soil, population densities of R20(NAH7) increased to approximately 10⁸ CFU/g of soil by 48 h of incubation, with the fastest increase at 100 μg/g. A lag phase of approximately 24 h occurred before the population density increased in the presence of salicylate at 500 μg/g; at 1,000 μg/g, population densities of R20(NAH7) declined over the time period of the experiment. Population densities of R20(NAH7) on sugar beet seeds in soils amended with 100 μg of salicylate per g were not increased while ample carbon was present in the spermosphere. However, after carbon from the seed had been utilized, population densities of R20(NAH7) decreased significantly less (P = 0.005) on sugar beet seeds in soil amended with salicylate than in nonamended soil.     

Evaluation of the Protective and Therapeutic Properties of DBCP for Control of Root-Knot Nematode on Tomato

Twelve soil drenches over a period of 30 days with DBCP concentrations of 40 μg/ml did not completely prevent infection of tomato plants by root-knot nematode juveniles. Repeated DBCP drenches of 40 μg/ml halted gall development during the drenches, but 10 days after drenching was discontinued galls were apparent. DBCP drenches at 200 μg/ml prevented tomato root development, and 40 μg/ml slowed it. Ten μg/ml increased the height of root-knot-infected plants, but not their top weights. Treated plants were lanky. Protective drenches of 2.5 to 40 μg/ml of DBCP decreased nematode populations and increased fruitfulness. DBCP as a therapeutant reduced the incidence of galling on new roots and halted increases in gall size on previously infected roots but did not improve fruitfulness or plant size significantly.     

Effects of Aldicarb and Its Sulfoxide and Sulfone on the Biology of Tylenchulus semipenetrans

In laboratory testing, egg hatch of Tylenchulus semipenetrans was stimulated at concentrations of 1 and 10 μg/ml aldicarb solution and inhibited at 50 and 100 μg/ml. Aldicarb was more inhibitory to egg hatch than the aldicarb sulfoxide and the aldicarb sulfone. Inhibition of hatch at the high concentration was associated with delays in the molting processes, lack of larval movement within the egg, and delays in embryonic development. Nematode motility was reduced at 10, 50, and 100 μg/ml of aldicarb and aldicarb sulfoxide solution, and at 50 and 100 μg/ml aldicarb sulfone. Male development was retarded at 10 μg/nrl and almost completely inhibited at 50 and 100 μg/ml of the three chemicals. In greenhouse tests, female development antl reproduction on roots of citrus seedlings were suppressed by aldicarb at rates of 2.6 μg/ml and completely inhibited at 10.6 μg/ml of soil solution during a 50-day experimental period. Under field conditions, there was little systemic movement of aldicarb into roots located outside treated areas. Aldicarb reduced the nematode larvae and the female adult population in the second year after the second treatment. There were no differences in egg hatch and sex ratio of citrus nematodes between treated and nontreated roots.     

Rapid release of protease inhibitors from soybeans: immunochemical quantitation and parallels with lectins

Specific antisera were prepared against the Bowman-Birk trypsin inhibitor and four other trypsin inhibitors of low molecular weight isolated from soybeans (Glycine max L. cv. Tracy). These antisera were used to detect the presence and amount of the inhibitors in: (a) seeds and protein extracts of soybean meal; (b) seedlings; and (c) the water surrounding the seeds and roots of seedlings. Lectin activities in seeds, seedlings, and water were also determined at the same time as the protease inhibitor activities. By competitive inhibition of immunoprecipitation, the combined five low molecular weight protease inhibitors were found to constitute the following percentages of proteins (w/w): 6.3% in defatted soybean meal; 8.1% of the protein extracted from the meal by a buffer of pH 8.6; 8.3, 14.7, 15.2, 16.1, 17.2, and 18.9% of the protein in a lyophilisate of water in which seeds were incubated for 4, 8, 12, 16, 20, and 24 hours, respectively; 8.2% in a lyophilisate of water in which roots of seedlings grew for 20 days; 1.5% in cotyledons; and less than 0.1% in epicotyls, hypocotyls, and roots of 12-day-old seedlings. Hemagglutination activities, expressed as the lowest amount of protein required to give a positive agglutination of 0.2 ml of 2% rabbit red blood cells, were as follows: purified soybean lectin, 0.08 μg; lyophilisate of water in which seeds were incubated for 4, 8, 12, 16, 20, and 24 hours, 10, 2.5, 5, 5, and 2.5 μg, respectively; lyophilisate of water in which roots grew for 20 days, 5 μg; 12-day-old cotyledons, roots, epicotyls, and hypocotyls, 12.5, 100, >1,000, and >500 μg, respectively. The results indicate that a large amount of protease inhibitors as well as lectins are released from seeds during the first 8 hours of imbibition. Neither lima bean trypsin inhibitor (mol wt, 10,000) nor Kunitz soybean trypsin inhibitor (mol wt, 21,500) showed competitive inhibition in tests with antisera against low molecular weight soybean protease inhibitors.     

Possible Role of Xanthobaccins Produced by Stenotrophomonas sp. Strain SB-K88 in Suppression of Sugar Beet Damping-Off Disease

Three antifungal compounds, designated xanthobaccins A, B, and C, were isolated from the culture fluid of Stenotrophomonas sp. strain SB-K88, a rhizobacterium of sugar beet that suppresses damping-off disease. Production of xanthobaccin A in culture media was compared with the disease suppression activities of strain SB-K88 and less suppressive strains that were obtained by subculturing. Strain SB-K88 was applied to sugar beet seeds, and production of xanthobaccin A in the rhizosphere of seedlings was confirmed by using a test tube culture system under hydroponic culture conditions; 3 μg of xanthobaccin A was detected in the rhizosphere on a per-plant basis. Direct application of purified xanthobaccin A to seeds suppressed damping-off disease in soil naturally infested by Pythium spp. We suggest that xanthobaccin A produced by strain SB-K88 plays a key role in suppression of sugar beet damping-off disease.     

Plant Growth Substances Produced by Azospirillum brasilense and Their Effect on the Growth of Pearl Millet (Pennisetum americanum L.)

Azospirillum brasilense, a nitrogen-fixing bacterium found in the rhizosphere of various grass species, was investigated to establish the effect on plant growth of growth substances produced by the bacteria. Thin-layer chromatography, high-pressure liquid chromatography, and bioassay were used to separate and identify plant growth substances produced by the bacteria in liquid culture. Indole acetic acid and indole lactic acid were produced by A. brasilense from tryptophan. Indole acetic acid production increased with increasing tryptophan concentration from 1 to 100 μg/ml. Indole acetic acid concentration also increased with the age of the culture until bacteria reached the stationary phase. Shaking favored the production of indole acetic acid, especially in a medium containing nitrogen. A small but biologically significant amount of gibberellin was detected in the culture medium. Also at least three cytokinin-like substances, equivalent to about 0.001 μg of kinetin per ml, were present. The morphology of pearl millet roots changed when plants in solution culture were inoculated. The number of lateral roots was increased, and all lateral roots were densely covered with root hairs. Experiments with pure plant hormones showed that gibberellin causes increased production of lateral roots. Cytokinin stimulated root hair formation, but reduced lateral root production and elongation of the main root. Combinations of indole acetic acid, gibberellin, and kinetin produced changes in root morphology of pearl millet similar to those produced by inoculation with A. brasilense.     

Effects of Polychlorinated Biphenyls on Growth and Respiration of Heterotrophic Marine Bacteria

A number of marine bacterial isolates from both near-shore and open-ocean environments were tested for growth inhibition with exposure to low concentrations (1 to 100 μg/liter) of Aroclor 1254, a commercial mixture of polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs). Of over 17 bacterial cultures tested, growth of only two open-ocean isolates, one a pseudomonad and the other a tetrad-forming coccus, was consistently inhibited by Aroclor at concentrations as low as 10 μg/liter (10 ppb). Growth inhibition was dose dependent over a concentration range of 10 to 100 μg/liter. The effects upon division rates and final cell yields of each bacterial isolate were greatest when PCBs were added to cultures with low cell densities or with lower specific growth rates. The pseudomonad also had reduced carotenoid levels and an altered filamentous morphology with Aroclor present at a concentration of 10 μg/liter, or more. The effects noted were reversible for at least 18 h after initial exposure. Concentrations of Aroclor in excess of those needed to stop growth had no detectable effect upon the respiration rate of cells of either culture. This suggests that the reduced division rates observed were not due to inability of PCB-treated cells to transport or catabolize the carbohydrate or amino acid substrates tested.     

Effects of Cycloate on Development of Heterodera schachtii and Growth of Three Beta Species

Greenhouse tests were set up to evaluate the effects of the herbicide, cycloate (S-ethyl cydohexylethylthiocarbamate), oil development of Heterodera schachtii and growth of three Beta species. Cycloate added to infested soil enhanced cyst development/gm root on B. vulgaris and larvae/gm of root in B. patellaris and B. procumbens at 4, 16, and 16 μg(a.i.)/gm of soil, respectively. Total numbers of nematodes/individual root system decreased because of poor root growth of seedlings in cycloate-amended soil. Penetration and larval development through stage three did occur in the wild Beta species in any treatment. Thus, resistance of B. patellaris and B. pocumbens to development of H. schachtii was not altered by cycloate. Cycloate also retarded growth (P = 0.05) of the sugarbeet cultivars and B. patellaris at 4 μg(a.i.)/gm and B. procumbens at 16 μg(a.i.)/gm of soil. Higher concentrations of nematodes/gm root in plants growing in cycloate-amended soil may be attributed to factors such as fewer roots available for penetration, possible effects of cycloate on egg hatch, greater attraction of nematodes to roots, and increased susceptibility of roots to larval penetration. Suppression of seedling growth in cycloate-amended soil may be attributed in part to higher nematode density and in part to direct root damage from cycloate.     

Population Size and Distribution of Rhizobium leguminosarum bv. trifolii in Relation to Total Soil Bacteria and Soil Depth

Bacterial cells small enough to pass through 0.4-μm-pore-size filters made up 5 to 9% of the indigenous bacterial population in 0- to 20-cm-depth samples of Abiqua silty clay loam. Within the same soil samples, cells of a similar dimension were stained with fluorescent antibodies specific to each of four antigenically distinct indigenous serogroups of Rhizobium leguminosarum bv. trifolii and made up 22 to 34% of the soil population of the four serogroups. Despite the extensive contribution of small cells to these soil populations, no evidence of their being capable of either growth or nodulation was obtained. The density of soil bacteria which could be cultured ranged between 0.5 and 8.5% of the >0.4-μm direct count regardless of media, season of sampling, or soil depth. In the same soil samples, the viable nodulating populations of biovar trifolii determined by the plant infection soil dilution technique ranged between 1 and 10% of the >0.4-μm direct-immunofluorescence count of biovar trifolii. The <0.4-μm cell populations of both total soil bacteria and biovar trifolii changed abruptly between the 10- to 15-cm and 15- to 20-cm soil depth increments, increasing from 5 to 20% and from 20 to 50%, respectively, of their direct-count totals. The increase in density of the small-cell population corresponded to a significant increase in soil bulk density (1.07 to 1.21 g cm⁻³). The percent contribution of the <0.4-μm direct count to individual serogroup totals increased with soil depth by approximately 2-fold (39 to 87%) for serogroups 17 and 21 and by 12-fold (6 to 75%) for serogroups 6 and 36.     

Plant regeneration from organogenic callus and assessment of clonal fidelity in Elephantopus scaber Linn., an ethnomedicinal herb

An efficient callus induction and plant regeneration system has been standardized for an ethnomedicinal plant, Elephantopus scaber Linn. Two explants i. e. seeds and leaf segments were used for callus induction. Murashige and Skoog (MS) medium supplemented with 5.0 μM 2, 4-dichlorophenoxy acetic acid (2, 4-D) and 0.5 μM kinetin (Kn) gave the optimum frequency (89 %) of callus induction from seed explant. The results showed that the highest response in terms of percent callus regenerating (91 %) and number of shoots (56) per culture was recorded on MS medium supplemented with 6.0 μM N₆-benzylaminopurine (BA) and 1.5 μM α naphthalene acetic acid (NAA). The best rooting of regenerated shoots was obtained on half strength MS medium supplemented with 6.0 μM indole-3- butyric acid (IBA). On this medium, 100 % of the shoots produced roots with a mean number of 3.2 roots per shoot. The positive role of vesicular arbuscular mycorrhizae (VAM) along with potting mix has been well established in the present study. Of the various potting mix employed for plant acclimatization, the highest response of 100 % plant survival was noticed when autoclaved garden soil, sand (2:1) and VAM was utilized as potting mix. Inter-simple sequence repeats (ISSR) were used to establish the clonal fidelity of regenerated plantlets and the banding profiles from callus derived plants were monomorphic and similar to those of mother plant, thus ascertaining the true-to-type nature of these plants.     

Evaluation of an Antibiotic-Producing Strain of Pseudomonas fluorescens for Suppression of Plant-Parasitic Nematodes

The antibiotic 2,4-diacetylphloroglucinol (DAPG), produced by some strains of Pseudomonas spp., is involved in suppression of several fungal root pathogens as well as plant-parasitic nematodes. The primary objective of this study was to determine whether Wood1R, a D-genotype strain of DAPG-producing P. fluorescens, suppresses numbers of both sedentary and migratory plant-parasitic nematodes. An experiment was conducted in steam-heated soil and included two seed treatments (with Wood1R and a control without the bacterium) and six plant-nematode combinations which were Meloidogyne incognita on cotton, corn, and soybean; M. arenaria on peanut; Heterodera glycines on soybean; and Paratrichodorus minor on corn. Wood 1R had no effect on final numbers of M. arenaria, P. minor, or H. glycines; however, final numbers of M. incognita were lower when seeds were treated with Wood1R than left untreated, and this reduction was consistent among host plants. Population densities of Wood1R were greater on the roots of corn than on the other crops, and the bacterium was most effective in suppressing M. incognita on corn, with an average reduction of 41%. Despite high population densities of Wood1R on corn, the bacterium was not able to suppress numbers of P. minor. When comparing the suppression of M. incognita on corn in natural and steam-heated soil, egg production by the nematode was suppressed in natural compared to steamed soil, but the presence of Wood1R did not result in additional suppression of the nematodes in the natural soil. These data indicate that P. fluorescens strain Wood1R has the capacity to inhibit some populations of plant-parasitic nematodes. However, consistent suppression of nematodes in natural soils seems unlikely.     

Production of Cyclic Lipopeptides by Pseudomonas fluorescens Strains in Bulk Soil and in the Sugar Beet Rhizosphere

The production of cyclic lipopeptides (CLPs) with antifungal and biosurfactant properties by Pseudomonas fluorescens strains was investigated in bulk soil and in the sugar beet rhizosphere. Purified CLPs (viscosinamide, tensin, and amphisin) were first shown to remain highly stable and extractable (90%) when applied (ca. 5 μg g⁻¹) to sterile soil, whereas all three compounds were degraded over 1 to 3 weeks in nonsterile soil. When a whole-cell inoculum of P. fluorescens strain DR54 containing a cell-bound pool of viscosinamide was added to the nonsterile soil, declining CLP concentrations were observed over a week. By comparison, addition of the strains 96.578 and DSS73 without cell-bound CLP pools did not result in detectable tensin or amphisin in the soil. In contrast, when sugar beet seeds were coated with the CLP-producing strains and subsequently germinated in nonsterile soil, strain DR54 maintained a high and constant viscosinamide level in the young rhizosphere for ~2 days while strains 96.578 and DSS73 exhibited significant production (net accumulation) of tensin or amphisin, reaching a maximum level after 2 days. All three CLPs remained detectable for several days in the rhizosphere. Subsequent tests of five other CLP-producing P. fluorescens strains also demonstrated significant production in the young rhizosphere. The results thus provide evidence that production of different CLPs is a common trait among many P. fluorescens strains in the soil environment, and further, that the production is taking place only in specific habitats like the rhizosphere of germinating sugar beet seeds rather than in the bulk soil.     

Accelerated Mineralization of Two Organophosphate Insecticides in the Rhizosphere

Numerous xenobiotic compounds, including the organophosphate insecticides O, O-diethyl-O-(2-isopropyl-6-methyl-4-pyrimidinyl) phosphorothioate (diazinon) and O, O-diethyl-O-p-nitrophenyl phosphorothioate (parathion), appear to be degraded in the soil environment by an initial cometabolic attack. Comparing the mineralization rates of radiolabeled diazinon and parathion in root-free and in rhizosphere soil, we tested our hypothesis that, because of the presence of root exudates, the rhizosphere is an especially favorable environment for such co-metabolic transformations. The insecticides were added individually at 5 μg/g to sealed flasks containing either soil permeated by the root system of a bush bean plant or identical soil without roots. Periodically, the flask atmospheres were flushed through traps and the evolved ¹⁴CO₂ was quantitated. Bush bean plant roots without associated rhizosphere microorganisms failed to produce a significant amount of ¹⁴CO₂. During 1 month of incubation, rhizosphere flasks mineralized 12.9 and 17.9% of the added diazinon and parathion radiocarbon, respectively, compared to 5.0 and 7.8% by the soil without roots. The mineralization of parathion but not of diazinon was stimulated in a similar manner when soil without roots was repeatedly irrigated with a root exudate produced in aseptic solution culture. Viable counts of microorganisms on soil extract agar were not significantly altered by root permeation or by root exudate treatment of the soil, leaving population selection and/or enhanced cometabolic activity as the most plausible interpretations for the observed stimulatory effects. Rhizosphere interactions may substantially shorten the predicted half-lives of some xenobiotic compounds in soil.     

Fluorescent pseudomonads in the rhizosphere of plants and their relation to root exudates

Fluorescent pseudomonads were present in chernozem soil not influenced by plant roots (10(3)-10(4) per g dry soil) in the rhizosphere soil of various plants (10(4)-10(5) per g soil) and on roots (10(3) to 10(7) per g fresh roots), depending on the species and age of the plant. Relative species representation of fluorescent pseudomonads changed on the roots and in the plant rhizosphere as compared with free soil. Pseudomonas fluorescens, representing 60-93% of the population of fluorescent pseudomonads predominated on the roots of all plants investigated. Somewhat different results were obtained in rhizosphere soil. Relatively higher numbers of P. fluorescens were detected in the rhizosphere soil of cucumber and maize, numbers in the rhizosphere soil of wheat were practically the same as in free soil and higher numbers of P. putida were found in the rhizosphere soil of barley. Almost all components contained in the root exudates of the plants studied, including beta-pyrazolylalanine from the root exudates of cucumbers were utilized as carbon and energy sources. Root exudates of wheat and maize were utilized by the strain P. putida K2 with an efficiency of 73-91%, depending on species and age of the plant.     

Pseudomonas fluorescens DR54 Reduces Sclerotia Formation,Biomass Development,and Disease Incidence of Rhizoctonia solani Causing Damping-Off in Sugar Beet

Effects of the biocontrol strain, Pseudomonas fluorescens DR54, on growth and disease development by Rhizoctonia solani causing damping-off in sugar beet were studied in soil microcosms and in pot experiments with natural, clay-type soil. In pot experiments with P. fluorescens DR54-treated seeds, significantly fewer Rhizoctonia-challenged seedlings showed damping-off symptoms than when not inoculated with the biocontrol agent. In the rhizosphere of P. fluorescens DR54 inoculated seeds, the bacterial inoculant was present in high numbers as shown by dilution plating and immunoblotting. By the ELISA antibody technique and direct microscopy of the fungal pathogen grown in soil microcosms, it was shown that the presence of P. fluorescens DR54 on the inoculated seeds had a strong inhibitory effect on development of both mycelium biomass and sclerotia formation by R. solani. In the field experiment, plant emergence was increased by treatment with P. fluorescens DR54 and the inoculant was found to be the dominating rhizosphere colonizing pseudomonad immediately after seedling emergence.