Isolation and characterization of antagonistic bacteria with the potential for biocontrol of soil-borne wheat diseases

Aim The aim of this study was to identify efficient plant-beneficial rhizobacterium that has the potential to be developed as biocontrol agent for the control of wheat soil-borne diseases. Methods and Results Rhizosphere soil samples were collected from a wheat field located in Taian City. Numerous bacteria were isolated and screened for antagonistic activity against soil-borne plant pathogenic fungi by performing dual-culture assays. Among them, XH-9 was selected for its highly antagonistic activity and others growth-promoting characteristics. Subsequently, the strain was identified as Bacillus amyloliquefaciens subsp. plantarum based on phylogenetic analysis of 16S rDNA sequence. Pot experiment indicated that XH-9 has good capacities for wheat, corn, and chili root colonization and considerably increased the biometric parameters of wheat seedlings. Quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction experiments showed that the amount of Fusarium oxysporum associated with the XH-9 after treatment significantly decreased compared with control group. Conclusions Bacillus amyloliquefaciens subsp. plantarum XH-9 has the potential as biocontrol agent when applied in local arable land to prevent damage caused by F. oxysporum and other phytopathogens. Significance and Impact of the Study The development of biocontrol strategies for reducing the damage caused by plant pathogens is fully in accord with the current principles of sustainability.