Enhancing the Biological Control of Rice Seedling Disease by Adding Specific Carbon Sources into the Bacillus cereus D324 Formulation in Water-Seeded Rice

Utilization of carbon sources by Bacillus cereus D324, a biological control agent, and Pythium species, which causes rice seedling disease, was studied with the objective of increasing the efficacy of biological control by providing the biological control agent with specific beneficial carbon sources. D-galactose, D-sorbitol, and D-mannitol were poor carbon sources for Pythium spp. growth but were good for B. cereus D324 growth. Growth in a growth chamber of rice seeds coated with B. cereus D324 amended with specific carbon sources, such as D-galactose and D-sorbitol, showed significantly enhanced seedling emergence compared to seeds coated only with B. cereus D324. Field trials showed that both seedling emergence and yield increased, when the above specific carbon sources were added to B. cereus D324 in seed coating formulations. This result indicated that amending seed coating formulations with specific carbon sources could significantly increase seedling emergence and yield in the field.