Isolation, screening and evaluation of potential biocontrol endophytes against Ralstonia solanacearum on ginger

Abstract

In this study, endophytic organisms isolated from tuber of ginger (Zingiber officinale Rosc.) were tested in vitro for inhibition of Ralstonia solanacearum causing ginger wilt. Some of these isolates were identified using morphological, biochemical and molecular biology techniques. Results revealed that 41 endophytic strains were obtained from the tuber of ginger, including 10 strains of Bacillus. Pathogen-antagonistic activity experiment showed that a majority of Bacillus has obvious antagonism activity to R. solanacearum, and two of the isolated bacteria named BJ-1 and BJ-31 performed the highest inhibition activity. BJ-1 and BJ-31 were respectively identified as Bacillus cereus and Bacillus subtilis. The research to antagonistic endophytes will have important theoretical and practical significance for the controlling of crop diseases and the development of ecological agriculture.