Fusarium circinatum
Nirenberg & O'Donnell, the pitch canker fungus, has been recently reported in Uruguay affecting
Pinus taeda
L. seedlings. The spread of this pathogen to plantations constitute a risk to forestry production. The aim of this
work was to evaluate the inhibitory effect of live bacteria and their thermostable metabolites on
F. circinatum growth
in vitro. Four
Bacillus subtilis
strains and one of
Burkholderia sp. isolated as
P. taeda endophytes were evaluated as biological
control agents of
F. circinatum. Dual cultures between live bacteria and pathogen were performed. Furthermore, bacteria
metabolites obtained from liquid cultures were sterilized and added to the culture media where fungus was grown. In
this study all bacteria showed an antagonist effect on the pathogen growth arresting the mycelia at one cm of the edge of
the bacteria colony. Bacteria thermostable metabolites reduced over 50% fungal growth. These results demonstrates that
endophytic bacteria, well adapted to live in host tissues, constitute a good alternative to control
F. circinatum affecting
Pinus seedlings.
