Fusarium oxysporum f. sp. cubense biocontrol mediated by Bacillus spp. in Prata-Anã banana

Abstract

The aim of this study was to evaluate the controlling effect of Bacillus spp. on Fusarium oxysporum f. sp. cubense (Foc) activity under greenhouse conditions. Two experiments were set up, with the first consisting of one Bacillus application on the substrate, with Foc addition seven days later; two Bacillus applications at a seven-day interval on the substrate and Foc application seven days after the last Bacillus application; and Bacillus applied to the substrate at the same time as Foc. After 14 days of incubation of the substrate infested with Foc and Bacillus, banana seedlings of the Prata-Anã cultivar were planted in tubes. In the second experiment, the application interval was the same as the pre-inoculation experiment, but with Fusarium inoculated first and then transferring bacteria to the substrate. The results of both experiments demonstrated that the Bacillus spp. application after the Fusarium installation, with and without time interval, proved to be the best biocontrol of this disease in Prata-Anã plants.