Biological control of oyster mushroom green mould diseaseby antagonistic Bacillus species

Abstract: The occurrence of Trichoderma pleurotum and T. pleuroticola in cultivation of oystermushroom (Pleurotus ostreatus) frequently results in serious crop losses. Bacillus strains wereisolated that are very effective in antagonizing the oyster mushroom pathogenic T. pleurotumwithout having a negative effect on P. ostreatus. A Bacillus subtilis and a B. amyloliquefaciensstrain, as well as a streptomycin-resistant derivative of a B. licheniformis strain proved to be veryeffective against the tested T. pleurotum strain in vivo. The B. amyloliquefaciens strain is a potentialbiocontrol candidate, as in addition to the lack of antagonistic activity towards P. ostreatus, itincreased the crop yield.