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Effects of Caenorhabditis elegans (Nematoda: Rhabditidae) on the spread of the bacterium Pseudomonas tolaasii in mushrooms ( Agaricus bisporus )
Author(s) -
GREWAL P. S.
Publication year - 1991
Publication title -
annals of applied biology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.677
H-Index - 80
eISSN - 1744-7348
pISSN - 0003-4746
DOI - 10.1111/j.1744-7348.1991.tb06084.x
Subject(s) - biology , agaricus bisporus , pseudomonas fluorescens , biovar , mushroom , microbiology and biotechnology , antibiosis , pseudomonadaceae , pseudomonas , botany , bacteria , genetics
Summary The effects of mass‐produced saprobic rhabditid nematodes, Caenorhabditis elegans on the spread of the bacterial blotch pathogen, Pseudomonas tolaasii , were studied in mushroom growth chambers. C. elegans significantly reduced the intensity of blotch on sporophores. Repeated isolations of the bacterial flora from the gut of C. elegans recovered from mushroom sporophores during cropping, revealed the presence of Pseudomonas fluorescens biovar reactans . All the isolates of P. fluorescens biovar reactans isolated from nematodes were antagonists of P. tolaasii . C. elegans produced much larger populations in monoxenic cultures with P. fluorescens biovar reactans than with P. tolaasii . It is suggested that as C. elegans selects P. fluorescens biovar reactans rather than P. tolaasii as a food substrate it probably spreads the antagonist in the mushroom crop and may contribute to the control of bacterial blotch.