Influence of bacteria isolated from rice plants and rhizospheres on antibiotic production by the antagonistic bacterium <Emphasis Type="Italic">Serratia marcescens</Emphasis> strain B2

Serratia marcescens strain B2 is an antagonistic bacterium that produces the red-pigmented antibiotic prodigiosin and suppresses rice sheath blight caused by Rhizoctonia solani AG-1 IA. Rice sheath blight disease was suppressed when plants were inoculated with this bacterium an hour before pathogen inoculation but not when plants were treated 4 weeks before pathogen inoculation. In both cases the bacteria were detected in the rice rhizosphere 4 weeks after inoculation. Bacteria isolated from the rice plant and rhizosphere inhibited biosynthesis of prodigiosin in S. marcescens strain B2. We suggest that bacteria isolated from rice plants and rhizospheres mediate the suppression of antibiotic production of biological control agents and that such suppression is common under field conditions.