Abstract
The antagonistic effect of the isolates of Gliocladium roseum, Saccharomyces cerevisiae, Sordaria fimicola, and their mixtures, at different concentrations against the cereal damping-off pathogen, Fusarium graminearum, was examined in vitro and in vivo (foliar, seed, soil, seed + soil) treatments on the susceptible wheat cultivars “Gun 91 and Sultan 95.” The 3 isolates inhibited growth of F. graminearum at a concentration of 1 × 109 spores/ml with inhibition rates of 84, 88, and 91%, respectively under in vitro conditions. For in vivo assays, the mixture of S. cerevisiae + S. fimicola exhibited a considerable antagonistic activity even at a concentration of 1 × 105 spores/ml. Particularly, at the seed + soil treatment of the mixture, the pathogen was almost completely suppressed with an inhibition rate above 96% at concentrations of 1 × 108 and 1 × 109 spores/ml for both wheat cultivars, and the percentage of emerged seedlings reached nearly 100%. The results verified that the mixture of S. cerevisiae + S. fimicola had a high potential, as a promising biocontrol agents and an eco-friendly alternative, to be used against the cereal damping-off caused by F. graminearum, to reduce the use of systemic fungicides.
Highlights
The diseases caused by plant pathogenic bacteria and fungi cause significant reductions in crop yield and huge product losses worldwide (Avelino et al 2015)
The present study aimed to evaluate the antagonistic activity of 3 isolates; Gliocladium roseum, Saccharomyces cerevisiae, and Sordaria fimicola and to determine the most effective antagonistic agents against F. graminearum in susceptible wheat cultivars
The present study is the first report indicating that G. roseum, S. cerevisiae, and S. fimicola, and in particular, the mixture of S. cerevisiae + S. fimicola was promising and effective against the cereal damping-off caused by F. graminearum in wheat cultivars
Summary
The diseases caused by plant pathogenic bacteria and fungi cause significant reductions in crop yield and huge product losses worldwide (Avelino et al 2015). Many phytopathogens, including Fusarium graminearum, reduce the yield quantity and quality in cereal crops and cause severe economic losses throughout the world (Kelly and Ward 2018). This pathogen infects wheat seeds and causes damping-off (Rasiukeviciute and Kelpsiene 2018), which decreases seed germination and seedling emergence in regions with mild and semitropical climates. F. graminearum produces sexual spores (ascospores) and asexual spores (macroconidia). The primary infection by ascospores appears in the spring (Leplat et al 2013)
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