RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN IN-VITRO GROWTH-INHIBITION OF PATHOGENS AND SUPPRESSION OF PREEMERGENCE DAMPING-OFF AND POSTEMERGENCE ROOT-ROT OF WHITE BEAN SEEDLINGS IN THE GREENHOUSE BY BACTERIA

One hundred and twenty diverse bacterial strains were screened under greenhouse conditions for their ability to protect white bean seedlings from preemergence damping-off caused by Pythium ultimum and Rhizoctonia solani and postemergence root rot by Fusarium solani f.sp. phaseoli. Preemergence mortality or root rot increased with an increase in the inoculum concentration of fungal isolates. For further testing, 200 propagules/g soil of P. ultimum, 3 propagules/g soil of R. solani, and log 3 conidia/g vermiculite of F. solani f.sp. phaseoli were used, as these rates provided an optimal level (approximately 50%) of disease severity. Bacterial strains suspended in sterile distilled water were added to pathogen-amended soil or vermiculite at log 7 colony-forming units/g soil or vermiculite prior to seeding. Final healthy stand and root rot were recorded 4 weeks after planting. Nine bacterial strains on P. ultimum, five on R. solani, and nine on F. solani f.sp. phaseoli provided significant (P = 0.05) suppression of disease severity compared with the nonbacterized control. Bacterial strains were also tested in vitro against the mycelial growth of the fungi on solid and liquid media. There was no relationship between the ability of bacterial strains to inhibit fungal vegetative growth on solid culture media and their ability to suppress pathogen activity in the greenhouse, but, for a few strains, the reduction in disease was linked to reduced growth of the pathogens in liquid media.