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ARS Home » Northeast Area » Beltsville, Maryland (BARC) » Beltsville Agricultural Research Center » Sustainable Agricultural Systems Laboratory » Research » Publications at this Location » Publication #285051
Title: Bacillus megaterium A6 suppresses Sclerotinia sclerotiorum on oilseed rape in the field and promotes oilseed rape growth

Author
item HU, XIAOJIA - Oil Crops Research Institute - China
item Roberts, Daniel
item XIE, LIHUA - Oil Crops Research Institute - China
item Maul, Jude
item YU, CHANGBING - Oil Crops Research Institute - China
item LI, YINSHUI - Oil Crops Research Institute - China
item ZHANG, SHUJIE - Oil Crops Research Institute - China
item LIAO, XING - Oil Crops Research Institute - China

Submitted to: Crop Protection
Publication Type: Peer Reviewed Journal
Publication Acceptance Date: 5/21/2013
Publication Date: 7/1/2013
Citation: Hu, X., Roberts, D.P., Xie, L., Maul, J.E., Yu, C., Li, Y., Zhang, S., Liao, X. 2013. Bacillus megaterium A6 suppresses Sclerotinia sclerotiorum on oilseed rape in the field and promotes oilseed rape growth. Crop Protection. 52:151-158.

Interpretive Summary: Conventional production regimens for crops such as oilseed rape utilize synthetic chemical compounds for control of plant diseases and soil fertility management. For example, several fungicides are available and used for the control of Sclerotinia stem rot of oilseed rape, caused by Sclerotinia sclerotiorum; a disease of major importance throughout the world. Unfortunately, these pesticides can be expensive, ineffective, and hazardous both to humans and the environment. Likewise, over application of synthetic fertilizers for soil fertility management can be expensive and damaging to the environment. For these reasons alternate, biologically based tactics are being investigated for plant disease control and soil fertility management. In this study we show that two different formulations of oilseed rape seed containing the beneficial bacterium Bacillus megaterium A6 significantly suppressed disease caused by S. sclerotiorum and increased seed yield by oilseed rape in field trials conducted at two locations that differed in soil type. Both of these formulations also promoted plant growth by oilseed rape. It was also shown that both of these formulations have good shelf-life, a property necessary for commercialization of plant-beneficial microorganisms. This information will be useful to scientists devising strategies for sustainable production of oilseed rape crops.

Technical Abstract: Sclerotinia sclerotiorum causes serious yield losses in crops in The People’s Republic of China and other regions of the world. Two formulations of oilseed rape seed containing the plant-growth promoting bacterium Bacillus megaterium A6 were evaluated for suppression of this pathogen on oilseed rape in field trials conducted at two independent locations. Treatments containing strain A6 in pellet and in wrap formulations significantly increased oilseed rape seed yield relative to the untreated seed control at both locations. Additionally, both of these treatments significantly decreased incidence of disease caused by S. sclerotiorum relative to the untreated seed control and to the respective formulated seed controls (that did not contain strain A6) at both locations. Strain A6 applied to oilseed rape seed in these two formulations also promoted growth in greenhouse pot studies conducted with autoclaved soil. In two experiments, these treatments resulted in significant increases in mean shoot dry weight . pot-1 and mean % total N . plant-1 relative to their respective controls containing formulated oilseed rape seed without strain A6 and to the untreated seed control. Both formulations provided stable B. megaterium A6 (> 106 CFU) and seed germination (> 85 %) over a six month period at room temperature. Experiments reported here indicate the commercial dual use potential of these formulations of B. megaterium A6 for suppression of S. scerlotiorum on oilseed rape and for promotion of growth of this crop.