PSEUDOMONAS TOLAASII CONTROL BY KASUGAMYCIN IN CULTIVATED MUSHROOMS (AGARICUS-BISPORUS)

Pseudomonas tolaasii, causing brown blotch disease on the edible mushroom Agaricus bisporus, was effectively controlled by kasugamycin. An artificial infection wits first established in the first flush, by inoculating the button-sized mushrooms of the first flush with a suspension of Ps. tolaasii. A 1% aqueous solution of kasugamycin supplied on the button-sized mushrooms of the second flush drastically reduced bacterial blotch symptoms on these mushrooms at picking stage. Disease incidence in the second flush in the control treatment (inoculated with Ps. tolaasii) was composed of 18% lightly, 29% moderately and 10% heavily affected mushrooms, which totalled up to 57% affected. The 1% kasugamycin treatment significantly reduced total disease incidence to only 9% (lightly) affected. Single sodium hypochlorite treatments showed no result.