Dwm. Cook et al., ATTACHMENT MICROBES ANTAGONISTIC AGAINST BOTRYTIS-CINEREA - BIOLOGICAL-CONTROL AND SCANNING ELECTRON-MICROSCOPE STUDIES IN-VIVO, Annals of Applied Biology, 131(3), 1997, pp. 503-518
Bacteria and yeasts, selected by an attachment assay for their ability
to adhere to Botrytis cinerea hyphae or conidia, were evaluated for b
iocontrol potential against B. cinerea on excised tomato stems. Eight
of the 12 bacteria and seven of the eight yeast isolates conferred 90%
to 100% biocontrol activity when antagonist populations were applied
at three to 80 times the pathogen inoculum density. Biocontrol was mai
ntained at similar levels when biocontrol agent (BCA) application was
delayed up to 48 h after pathogen challenge. Scanning electron microsc
opy showed extensive colonisation of B. cinerea mycelium or conidia by
many of these isolates and also evidence of pathogen degradation. The
biocontrol efficacy and potential for the assay are discussed with re
spect to cell-to-cell adhesion as a vehicle to deliver antagonistic me
chanisms to highly specific pathogen sites.