Bacterial suppression of basal pod rot and end rot of dry peas caused by Sclerotinia sclerotiorum

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Abstract
Morphological and biochemical characteristics indicate that the two bacterial strains used in this study belong to Bacillus cereus Frankland and Frankland. Tests in vitro revealed that strains of B. cereus differ in their antagonistic activities on Sclerotinia sclerotiorum (Lib.) de Bary. Vegetative growth and ascospore germination of S. sclerotiorum were inhibited by diffusible metabolites induced by B. cereus strain alf-87A, but were unaffected by strain B43. In vivo studies showed that the antagonistic strain alf-87A, when sprayed onto pea plants (Pisum sativum L.) at the pod development stage, reduced the incidence of basal pod rot from infection by airborne ascospores of S. sclerotiorum by 39–55%. This treatment also significantly (P < 0.05) reduced the severity of basal pod rot by decreasing lesion size. Strain alf-87A significantly reduced the incidence of end pod rot. Spraying pea plants with strain B43 of B. cereus was not consistently effective in reducing basal and end pod rots. Scanning electron microscopic studies revealed that both strains of B. cereus could colonize senescing pea stamens but only the antagonistic strain alf-87A was consistently effective in controlling sclerotinia basal and end pod rots of dry peas.Key words: Sclerotinia sclerotiorum, Bacillus cereus, basal pod rot, end pod rot, stamens, ascospores, apothecia.

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