Activity of plant growth promoting rhizobacteria (PGPRs) in the biocontrol of tomato Fusarium wilt

The potential of Pseudomonas fluorescens PF15 and Pseudomonas putida PP27 to protect tomato plants against Fusarium wilt under greenhouse conditions was evaluated. In vitro antagonism showed a significant inhibition of the pathogen growth (47%) revealed by PF15. However, PP27 presented a 10% rate of the mycelium inhibition. An in situ experiment was conducted with split-root design for induced systemic resistance (ISR) and without split-root design to measure both ISR and antagonistic activities. Fluorescent Pseudomonas revealed a delay in the onset of symptoms and slower kinetics of disease progression compared to the pathogen control. McKinney's index, which measures the severity of the disease, was reduced by 37-72%, and the levels of infection (incidence) by 7-36%.