Plant growth-promoting rhizobacteria, Paenibacillus polymyxa and Paenibacillus lentimorbus suppress disease complex caused by root-knot nematode and fusarium wilt fungus.

Aim: To screen and evaluate the biocontrol potential of Paenibacillus strains against disease complex caused by Meloidogyne incognita and Fusarium oxysporum f. sp. lycopersici interactions.
Methods and Results: Paenibacillus strains were collected from rotten ginseng roots. The strains were tested under in vitro and pots for their inhibitory activities, and biocontrol potential against disease complex caused by M. incognita and F. oxysporum f. sp. lycopersici on tomato. In in vitro experiments, among 40 tested strains of Paenibacillus spp., 11 strains showed antifungal and nematicidal activities against F. oxysporum f. sp. lycopersici and M. incognita, respectively. Paenibacillus polymyxa GBR-462; GBR-508 and P. lentimorbus GBR-158 showed the strongest antifungal and nematicidal activities. These three strains used in pot experiment reduced the symptom development of the disease complex (wilting and plant death), and increased plant growth. The control effects were estimated to be 90-98%, and also reduced root gall formation by 64-88% compared to the untreated control.
Conclusion: The protective properties of selected Paenibacillus strains make them as potential tool to reduce deleterious impact of disease complex plants.
Significance and Impact of the Study: The study highlights biocontrol potential of Paenibacillus strains in management of disease complex caused by nematode-fungus interaction.