OCCURRENCE OF ANTIFUNGAL FLUORESCENT PSEUDOMONAS SPP ON SOME HORTICULTURAL AND PASTORAL PLANTS

Fluorescent Pseudomonas spp. from 62 root, leaf, and fruit samples cov ering 24 horticultural crops, and 8 pastoral soil samples, were tested in vitro for their ability to inhibit the growth of five pathogenic f ungi-Botrytis cinerea Persoon, Fusarium oxysporum Schlechtendal f. sp. lycopersici (Saccardo) Snyder & Hansen, Phytophthora nicotianae van B reda de Haan var nicotianae, Pythium debaryanum auct. (non Hesse), and Pythium ultimum Trow. Bacterial isolates from 17, 15, 10, and 5 crops showed some degree of antagonism towards Pythium spp., B. cinerea, P. nicotianae, and F. oxysporum respectively. The isolates from the rhiz osphere of beetroot, lettuce, loquat, pasture, strawberry, and the fru ctoplane of lemon had the greatest percentage of antifungal bacteria. There were differences between plant species in the percentage of anti fungal Pseudomonas spp. isolates showing antifungal activity against P ythium ultimum (P < 0.001), P. debaryanum (P < 0.01), P. nicotianae (P < 0.01), and B. cinerea (P < 0.05). Antifungal activity against at le ast two pathogens was shown by 9% of the isolates.