Pseudomonas species significantly inhibit growth of Aphanomyces euteiches mycelium in vitro

Abstract

Pea plants (Pisum sativum) are an important agricultural crop, and root rot is a major cause of low crop yield and economic loss. Aphanomyces euteiches, a common causative agent of pea root rot, is a potent and resilient pest due to its ability to produce long-lived oospores. Traditional methods of pathogen control, including crop rotation and pesticide use, have failed to reduce A. euteiches disease and illustrate the need for novel, sustainable, and non-toxic control methods. Several Pseudomonas strains native to the pea plant rhizosphere have documented anti-oomycete genes and function, and are a promising target for research on the biocontrol of A. euteiches in pea plants. Using growth inhibition assays that we developed, we observed that Pseudomonas protegens CHA0, Pseudomonas sp. NFACC39, and P. protegens PF-5 significantly inhibited A. euteiches mycelial growth in vitro. These findings support the potential of native Pseudomonas strains as a solution for A. euteiches root rot prevention and treatment, and highlight the necessity for further examinations into the role of specific anti-oomycete genes in the growth inhibition of A. euteiches.