Suppression of bacterial wilt of tomato by soil amendment with mushroom compost containing <Emphasis Type="Italic">Bacillus amyloliquefaciens</Emphasis> IUMC7

Bacillus amyloliquefaciens IUMC7 and its culture supernatant, which we previously found to suppress Fusarium wilt, were found here to have antimicrobial activity against Ralstonia solanacearum. In in vivo experiments, mushroom compost inoculated with IUMC7 significantly reduced disease severity in tomato plants over that in control soils. The R. solanacearum population decreased in soil inoculated with IUMC7. A TLC–bioautography assay showed that one of the antimicrobial substances produced by IUMC7 is likely an iturin-like lipopeptide. These results suggest that these antimicrobial compounds are responsible for disease suppression and that mushroom compost containing IUMC7 has potential as a biocontrol product.