Application of Bacillus subtilis in the biological control of the phytopathogenic fungus Sporisorium reilianum

• B. subtilis strain 160 was tested as a biological control agent of S. reilianum in the field.
• The treatment with B. subtilis decreased the Smut Incidence Percentage.
• The results showed that treatment with B. subtilis increases the crop yield.

Sporisorium reilianum is the causal agent of head smut in corn, a worldwide disease that causes significant economic losses in the principal areas where maize is cultivated. To attack this problem, resistant commercial hybrids and synthetic fungicide seed treatment have been used, but with low effectiveness. In this study, a native strain of Bacillus subtilis isolated from the soil of corn crops in Mixquiahuala, Hidalgo, in central Mexico, was applied as a seed treatment in the field to test for the biological control of head smut. It significantly decreased the Smut Incidence Percentage (SIP) while increasing maize productivity. This work represents the first report in which B. subtilis has been used to control S. reilianum in the field.

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