A New method for application of biocontrol agents to rice flower to control Bakanae disease in the next generation

A new application method of biocontrol agents, such as, non-pathogenic Fusarium oxysporum, to rice (Oryza sativa) flowers has been established to control Bakanae disease caused by F. fujikuroi. Spraying the spore suspension of non-pathogenic Fusarium oxysporum W3 or W5 to rice flowers during blooming reduced the number of the Bakanae-infested seeds, and, moreover, prevented the emergence of Bakanae-seedlings in the nursery boxes in the next generation. Green fluorescence was detected in the pericarp (=bran) in the rice seeds developed from the flowers sprayed with the spores of GFP (green fluorescent protein)-labeled non-pathogenic F. oxysporum W5, suggested that this newly developed method helped the biocontrol agents to reside stably in seeds.