The effect of artificially inoculated antagonistic bacteria on the prevalence of take-all disease of wheat in field experiments

Bacteria from wheat field soils were screened in vitro and in glasshouse experiments for antagonism to the take-all fungus Gaeumannomyces graminis var. tritici. Field experiments to test the ability of the selected bacteria to reduce naturally occurring take-all disease gave variable results. In the most successful series the yield of spring wheat was doubled and the amount of disease reduced to half the unprotected control value. Failure to show disease control seemed to be due either to a naturally low incidence of the disease on the trial sites or to especially dry soil conditions.