Spray-dried powder of for control of rice sheath blight disease: Formulation protocol and efficacy testing in laboratory and greenhouse

A spray-dried powder containing Bacillus megaterium was developed and tested for control of rice sheath blight disease in the greenhouse. The formulation consisted of 20 ml of an endospore suspension of B. megaterium, 20% w/v of skim milk powder and 1.25% w/v of polyvinyl pyrrolidone k-90, that were mixed and spray dried at 120 °C. The powder displayed good physical characteristics, such as a low-moisture content and a high solubility in water. Bacterial viability in the powder was 3.5±0.1 × 1011 cfu/g after production and remained relatively stable (at 2.2±0.1 × 1010 cfu/g) after 12 months of storage at room temperature. In the laboratory, a 0.1% (w/v) aqueous solution of the formulation was effective in inhibiting the mycelia growth of Rhizoctonia solani (98.5±0.1% inhibition). Under greenhouse conditions, a 0.1% (w/v) aqueous solution applied by either spraying 1 day before inoculating R. solani or spraying 1, 7 and 15 days after inoculation of rice plants with R. solani was more effective in suppressing sheath blight disease than the blank formulation but was less effective than a chemical fungicide control

Microbial succession in a fermenting of wild forest noni ( Morinda coreia Ham) fruit plus molasses and its role in producing a liquid fertilizer

The numbers of lactic acid bacteria (LAB) and yeasts that were present during a wild forest noni ( Morinda coreia Ham) fermentation, the changes in its physico-chemical properties and levels of plant nutrients were investigated. LAB increased rapidly during the first 7 days and were the dominant population until after day 21 when the LAB were declining and the yeasts began to dominate. Identification of the LAB and yeasts to species level showed that the dominant LAB throughout was Lactobacillus plantarum while Lactobacillus pentosus was found but only at day 21. Saccharomyces cerevisiae was the most dominant species of yeast throughout but was slowly replaced by Pichia membranifaciens and then Pichia anomala . Rhodotolura mucilaginosa , an aerobic yeast, was only detected at the beginning of the fermentation process. It is suggested that the Pichia spp. were responsible for consuming lactic acid. After 56 days, the values of pH, acetic acid, ethanol and electrical conductivity in the fermented product were 3.66, 3.34 g L-1, 16.98 g L-1 and 14.47 mS cm-1, respectively. Increased amounts of plant nutrients were present at day 56 mostly derived from the degradation of plant material. At day 56 the amounts were as follows (in mg L-1): N 633, P 1210, K 4356, Ca 693, Mg 536, Mn 7, B 51, Zn 169, and total carbon/total nitrogen ratio (C/N ratio) 18. Based on the seed germination index (GI) of cherry tomato ( Lycopersicon esculentum Mill), the extract diluted 256-fold gave the best GI of 157%

Microbial succession in a fermenting of wild forest noni ( Morinda coreia Ham) fruit plus molasses and its role in producing a liquid fertilizer

The numbers of lactic acid bacteria (LAB) and yeasts that were present during a wild forest noni ( Morinda coreia Ham) fermentation, the changes in its physico-chemical properties and levels of plant nutrients were investigated. LAB increased rapidly during the first 7 days and were the dominant population until after day 21 when the LAB were declining and the yeasts began to dominate. Identification of the LAB and yeasts to species level showed that the dominant LAB throughout was Lactobacillus plantarum while Lactobacillus pentosus was found but only at day 21. Saccharomyces cerevisiae was the most dominant species of yeast throughout but was slowly replaced by Pichia membranifaciens and then Pichia anomala . Rhodotolura mucilaginosa , an aerobic yeast, was only detected at the beginning of the fermentation process. It is suggested that the Pichia spp. were responsible for consuming lactic acid. After 56 days, the values of pH, acetic acid, ethanol and electrical conductivity in the fermented product were 3.66, 3.34 g L-1, 16.98 g L-1 and 14.47 mS cm-1, respectively. Increased amounts of plant nutrients were present at day 56 mostly derived from the degradation of plant material. At day 56 the amounts were as follows (in mg L-1): N 633, P 1210, K 4356, Ca 693, Mg 536, Mn 7, B 51, Zn 169, and total carbon/total nitrogen ratio (C/N ratio) 18. Based on the seed germination index (GI) of cherry tomato ( Lycopersicon esculentum Mill), the extract diluted 256-fold gave the best GI of 157%