Suppression of Fusarium verticillioides in maize by Bacillus subtilis and Micrococcus luteus: evidence from biocontrol traits and GC-MS analysis.
Bacillus subtilis and Micrococcus luteus jointly suppress Fusarium verticillioides in maize, achieving 91.11% seed germination and 119.41 cm plant height.
- Why it matters: Fusarium verticillioides causes significant crop losses in maize, and effective biocontrol agents are needed to reduce reliance on chemical fungicides and improve crop health.
- What they did: Screening of 204 rhizobacterial isolates identified seven with strong antifungal traits; two isolates, B. subtilis (MRB5) and M. luteus (FR8), were tested for seedling blight suppression through seed biopriming and glasshouse trials, including dual inoculation studies.
- The result: Dual inoculation of MRB5 and FR8 significantly enhanced germination, plant growth, and disease suppression, while also boosting plant defense responses, demonstrating their potential as effective biocontrol agents against F. verticillioides.