Efficacy of Bacterial Seed Treatments for Controlling Pythium Root Rot of Winter Wheat

Abstract

Pythium root rot, caused by various Pythium spp., is a widespread disease of wheat. The objective of this study was to identify bacterial strains from wheat roots in Arkansas that suppressed Pythium root rot and to compare their efficacy with that of bacterial strains from other areas. Bacterial strains (applied as seed treatments) that suppressed Pythium root rot in growth chamber assays were evaluated further for in vitro antibiosis against three Pythium spp. and for efficacy under field conditions. Pseudomonas fluorescens strain 2-79R, Burkholderia cepacia strain 1-23, and Pseudomonas sp. strain 1-30 were the most effective for suppressing Pythium root rot under field conditions and significantly (P = 0.10) increased yield in one experiment. Strains that were effective in the field also expressed in vitro antibiosis to at least two of three Pythium spp.; however, strains expressing the highest levels of antibiosis were not effective in the field. In the field, root rot suppression and yield enhancement were inconsistent across experiments and generally small in magnitude. Therefore, these strains have little potential for commercial use under the conditions in which they were tested.