Fig. 1.

Suppressive effects against Fusarium crown and root rot by Paenibacillus strains 12HD2 and 42NP7 in a potted plant experiment. (A) Disease severity caused by Fusarium oxysporum f. sp. radicis-lycopersici in the roots of tomato seedlings treated with each strain. Each value indicates the mean of three experiments and the bar denotes the standard error of the mean. Different letters within each column indicate significant differences (P<0.05) according to Fisher’s LSD test. (B) Representatives of the washed roots of seedlings treated with SDW (left) and a cell suspension of 12HD2 (right). Note that rot symptoms were suppressed by the treatment with a cell suspension of 12HD2. (C) Density (CFU g⁻¹ of root) of Fusarium oxysporum isolated from the roots of potted tomato seedlings treated with each strain. The fungal species were also isolated from the healthy roots of uninoculated seedlings as a negative control (Healthy roots). Each value indicates the mean of three experiments and the bar denotes the standard error of the mean. Different letters within each column indicate significant differences (P<0.05) according to Fisher’s LSD test.