Biological Control of Pythium Damping-off of Bush Okra Using Rhizosphere Strains of Pseudomonas fluorescens

ABSTRACT

A severe damping-off disease of bush okra caused by Pythium aphanidermatum, was diagnosed in plastic houses in Der Attia village, 15 km southwest of El-Minia city, Egypt, during the winter of 2001. Bush okra seedlings showed low emergence with bare patches inside the plastic houses. Seedlings that escaped pre-emergence damping-off showed poor growth, stunting and eventually collapsed. Examination of the infected tissues confirmed only Pythium aphanidermatum, showing its typical intercalary antheridia, and lobulate zoosporangia. P. aphanidermatum was shown to be pathogenic on bush okra under pot and field experiments. Bacteria making inhibition zones against the damping-off fungus P. aphanidermatum were selected. Agar discs from rhizosphere soil of bush okra containing colonies were transferred onto agar plate culture of P. aphanidermatum. After 2 days of incubation, colonies producing clear zones of non-Pythium growth were readily detected. The two bacteria with the largest inhibition zones were identified as Pseudomonas fluorescens. Bush okra emergence(%) in both pot and plastic houses experiments indicated that disease control could be obtained by applying P. fluorescens to the soil or coating the bacteria to the bush okra seeds before sowing. In the plastic houses, application of the bacteria onto Pythium-infested soil and sowing bush okra seeds dressed with bacteria gave 100% emergence. In addition, This was the first reported disease of bush okra by this oomycete in Egypt.