Biocontrol Science and Technology (2018) 28, 562-573

Jing Zhang, Jing Chen, Ruimin Jia, Qing Ma, Zhaofeng Zong and Yang Wang (2018)
Suppression of plant wilt diseases by nonpathogenic Fusarium oxysporum Fo47 combined with actinomycete strains
Biocontrol Science and Technology 28 (6), 562-573
Abstract: In order to build integrated strains with superior growth-promoting and disease-suppression effects, the biological control efficacy of Fo47 solid agents combined with actinomycetes strains toward Fusarium oxysporum and Verticillium dahliae were investigated in experiments on watermelon, cotton and eggplant. Five actinomycetes strains were prepared by solid fermentation. The count of viable solid agents, initially with propagules at 10⁷–10¹¹ CFU/g, slowly decreased after being stored one year at room temperature. After being inoculated into sterile soil for 50 days, the viable count of strain Fo47 remained at a stable level. The suppressive effects of Fo47 combined with strain QLP12 on Fusarium wilt on watermelon and cotton, and Verticillium wilt on eggplant, reaching 58.47%, 50.73% and 58.82%, respectively. This was significantly better than the single strain Fo47 alone, and growth of these treated plants and the colonisation rate of Fo47 were increased substantially as well. These results indicate that solid integrated agents with a high viability count and superior stability in soil could increase disease suppression and promote plant growth by synergy with different strains. The increased suppression obtained by Fo47 combined with actinomycete strains was not due to a simple addition of different mechanisms of biocontrol agents. By being intelligently integrated, these combinations increase disease suppression and provide the best biocontrol effect.
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Link to article at publishers website

Research topic(s) for pests/diseases/weeds:
biocontrol - natural enemies
Research topic(s) for beneficials or antagonists:
general biology - morphology - evolution

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Pest and/or beneficial records:

Beneficial	Pest/Disease/Weed	Crop/Product	Country	Quarant.
	Verticillium dahliae	Eggplant (Solanum melongena)
	Verticillium dahliae	Cotton (Gossypium)
	Verticillium dahliae	Watermelon/colocynth (Citrullus)
Fusarium oxysporum (antagonist)	Verticillium dahliae	Watermelon/colocynth (Citrullus)