Endophytic bacteria as an alternative agent for the biological control of plant parasitic nematodes on black pepper

Abstract

Plant parasitic nematodes cause damage and losses significantly to black pepper in Indonesia. Control of plant parasitic nematodes with pesticides is often restricted due to their high toxicity and negative impact on the environment. The need for environmentally safe control strategies has increased interest in developing biological control measures. Endophytic bacteria are ubiquitous in most plant species and reside within healthy plant tissue without producing symptoms of damage. The internal plant habitat provides several advantages for endophytic bacteria as biological control agents: 1) colonization of an ecological niche also used by plant pathogens, 2) less competition with other microorganisms, 3) sufficient supply wirth nutrients, 4) less exposure to environmental stress factors, and 5) better translocation of bacterial metabolites throughout the host plant. The objective of this work was to evaluate the effect of endophytic bacteria isolated from black pepper to control Meloidogyne incognita on black pepper. The results showed that some endophytic bacteria were able to reduce the root galls caused by Meloidogyne incognita and juveniles of nematodes in the soil up to 70% as well as to promote the growth of pepper seedlings.