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RESEARCH ARTICLE

Suppression of Rhizoctonia solani AG-8 induced disease on wheat by the interaction between Pantoea, Exiguobacterium, and Microbacteria

Stephen J. Barnett A B C , David K. Roget A and Maarten H. Ryder A
+ Author Affiliations
- Author Affiliations

A CSIRO Land and Water, PMB 2, Glen Osmond, SA 5064, Australia.

B South Australian Research and Development Institute, Field Crops Pathology Unit, GPO Box 397, Adelaide, SA 5001, Australia.

C Corresponding author. Email: barnett.steve2@saugov.sa.gov.au

Australian Journal of Soil Research 44(4) 331-342 https://doi.org/10.1071/SR05113
Submitted: 12 August 2005  Accepted: 19 April 2006   Published: 27 June 2006

Abstract

Rhizoctonia solani AG-8 is a major wheat root pathogen; however, soils can become suppressive to the expression of disease under intensive cropping with retention of crop residues. This is in part due to the action of soil microorganisms. A step-wise approach was used to determine which microorganisms contributed to suppression of R. solani induced disease in a disease-suppressive soil. Using wheat-soil-pathogen bioassays it was determined that the interaction between 3 phylogenetically diverse groups of bacteria, Pantoea agglomerans, Exiguobacterium acetylicum, and Microbacteria (family Microbacteriaceae), was a major contributor to disease suppression. Inoculation of a sterilised soil with the combination of these groups resulted in greatly increased seedling shoot dry weight and reduced infection compared with diseased control plants with no bacterial inoculation, or inoculated with individual types of bacteria. These groups, however, did not reduce levels of pathogen DNA, although inoculation with suppressive soil (at 10% w/w) did reduce pathogen DNA. Root associated P. agglomerans and E. acetylicum promoted the growth of infected wheat plants and soil associated Microbacteria reduced root infection by R. solani.

Additional keywords: disease suppression, Exiguobacterium acetylicum, Microbacterium, Pantoea agglomerans, rhizosphere interactions.


Acknowledgments

The authors thank the Grains Research and Development Corporation, Australia, for financial support for S.J.B. through a Post Doctoral Fellowship (BAR01), B. Hawke for assistance with FAME profiles, P. Harvey for advice on the molecular component, and K. Ophel-Keller and A. Mckay for estimation of R. solani DNA.


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