Importance of plant health-promoting rhizobacteria for the control of soil-borne fungal diseases and plant parasitic nematodes

Abstract EN

The rhizosphere of every plant is colonized by bacteria that are important in supporting overall plant growth and in stabilizing plant health by protecting the root system from disease.

Under natural growing conditions, bacterial colonizations of the rhizosphere after seed germination is extensive.

The influence of the"e microbial communities on root health is not known.

Specialized forms of rhizosphere bacteria that are dependent on the root surface interface for growth and survival have been identified which have plant health promotion attributes.

These rhizobacteria are a component of the natural antagonistic potential in soil ecosystems.

Such antagonists can be applied as seed dressings or to planting material to protect the root system from fungal, bacterial or nematode infection.

One class of beneficial rhizobacteria, the plant health-promoting rhizobacteria (PHPR), are found in different genera and have diverse modes-of-action in combating soil-borne diseases and nematodes.

Suppression of spore germination, inhibition of pathogenic and deleterious nonpathogenic bacterial growth and/or reduction in hatching or penetration of plant parasitic nematodes are just a few of the mechanisms thus far detected.

The present state of knowledge on PHPR as well as some of the advantages and disadvantages of this biological control approach will be presented.