Sodium Alginate as an Adjuvant of an Antagonistic Bacterium, Pseudomonas fluorescens Strain A11RN, to Enhance Biocontrol of Turfgrass Snow Mold Caused by Typhula ishikariensis

Pretreatment with sodium alginate (20 g/m2) prior to application of a biocontrol agent, Pseudomonas fluorescens strain A11RN, enhanced the control turfgrass snow mold caused by Typhula ishikariensis biotype B. Disease severities in two fields relative to untreated control plots were 53% and 61% in plots treated with both the strain and sodium alginate, which were significantly lower than 69% and 77% in plots treated only with the strain. The antagonist population remained above the threshold for effective control (ca. 1×107 cfu/cm3) at least for the first month under snow in pretreatment with sodium alginate. The population of the biocontrol agent after snowmelt on turfgrass was five times higher in sodium alginate-amended plots than in unamended plots. Sodium alginate alone did not reduce disease severity. Sodium alginate might have supported the survival of the applied strain.