The antagonistic potential of Bacillus spp. against Ralstonia solanacearum causing bacterial wilt disease in ginger (Zingiber officinale)

Abstract

Bacterial wilt caused by Ralstonia solanacearum is an important disease in ginger which can cause yield losses of more than 90%. One way to control the disease is by biological control using the microorganism, Bacillus. Bacillus spp. is recognized to have the ability to control pests and diverse phytopathogens through the induction of systemic resistance in plants. This study aimed to obtain Bacillus spp. that can prevent the bacterial wilt disease in ginger caused by Ralstonia solanacearum. This study was carried out at the Microbiology Laboratory and Greenhouse, Faculty of Agriculture, Universitas Andalas, from July to October 2022. The experiment introduced 5 Bacillus (Bacillus cereus Se07, Bacillus cereus P14, Bacillus sp. SJI, Bacillus sp. HI, and Bacillus subtilis) and control, inoculated with Ralstonia solanacearum at one month old. The parameters of ginger that will be observed were incubation period, disease incidence, and disease severity. The results show that the treatment of B. cereus P14 is the best ability to suppress the severity of bacterial wilt disease by 37.03% with an effectiveness of 47.38%.