Biological Seed Treatment : Viable Population Changes of Paenibacillus polymyxa on Seed and Root and its Antagonistic Activity after Seed Formulation

Abstract

We analyzed the viable population changes of Paenibacillus polymyxa E681, a plant growth-promoting rhizobacterium, on seeds and roots after bioformulation at varying time intervals during the storage. The viable population of E681 on tested crop seeds sustained log 4-5 cfu/seed after 300 days of seed treatment. The ability of root colonization and inhibition of fungal mycellial growth was not influenced even after 300 days of seed treatment. The seed-soaking treatment returned better results than powder formulation, in increasing the initial population of E681 on plant roots. Collectively, it was found that E681 is a durable and stable biological control agent for application to crop seeds.