Studies in Biocontrol

Résumé du livre

The search for alternatives to chemical pesticides in agriculture raises the need to study substitutes as biocontrol for plant disease management. Rhizobacteria may present a front line of defense for plants against pathogens against biotic and abiotic stresses. A SYBR-green real time quantitative PCR protocol for the detection and quantification phlD+ pseudomonads in the soil with a detection limit of log4 cells per gram of root was developed. Pseudomonas fluorescens Wood1R decreased acid-soil stress related symptoms in corn plants perhaps through alterations in foliar nutrient concentration. In a different study, Pseudomonas fluorescens genotypes A1, A2 and S2 reduced tomato bacterial spot. Finally, in vitro screening of growth inhibition against a broad spectrum of pathogens demonstrated the potential of eight Bacillus spp. isolates to reduce tomato diseases. This data suggest that more research on biocontrol can result in novel traits and isolates that can ultimately be integrated in plant disease management.