Biocontrol and Growth-Promoting Effects of Composite Bacillus Seed Coating Agents on Maize Stalk Rot

doi:10.16409/j.cnki.2095-039x.2026.02.008

Abstract

Abstract: Two composite microbial seed coating agents (MD360+MD315 and MD288+MD315) were developed against maize stalk rot to overcome the limitations of unstable efficacy associated with single-strain agents. These agents, formulated from Bacillus velezensis MD360, Bacillus subtilis MD288 and Bacillus simplex MD315, were evaluated for their effects on antibacterial activity, seed germination, plant growth, disease control and yield. The results showed that in the plate confrontation assay, the composite strains MD360 + MD315 and MD288+MD315 inhibited Fusarium graminarum by 57.44% and 55.74%, respectively, corresponding to improvements of 2.10% and 5.50% over their single-strain counterparts. Germination tests showed that seeds treated with the composite agents achieved germination rates of 90.87% (MD360 + MD315) and 90.10% (MD288 + MD315), which did not differ significantly from either the chemical agent fludioxonil or the blank control. Field assessments of maize growth revealed that at 30 days after sowing, plants treated with MD360+MD315 displayed significantly greater plant height (70.86 cm), stem diameter (29.75 mm), and above-ground fresh weight (60.20 g) than other treatments. By 60 days after sowing, MD360 + MD315 continued to outperform both the blank control and fludioxonil treatment, with plant height, stem diameter, and above-ground fresh weight reaching 216.70 cm, 33.17 mm, and 640 g, respectively. In disease control trials, the MD360+MD315 treatment demonstrated the best control effect against stalk rot, achieving a disease control efficacy of 67.70%, which was significantly higher than that of the chemical agent fludioxonil after field inoculation with F. graminarum. Moreover, yield measurements indicated this treatment significantly increased ear length and yielded the highest grain production of 692.42 kg per 667 m², corresponding to a 14.45% increase over the control. In conclusion, the synergistic interactions among different Bacillus strains enhanced the efficacy of the composite seed coating agent in promoting maize growth, controlling disease, and increasing yield, offering new insights for the design of composite Bacillus seed-coating agents.

Key words: biological control, maize stalk rot, microbial seed coating agent, composite strains, growth-promoting effect

CLC Number:

S476

LI Yahong, YAO Liming, CHEN Xinyu, WANG Kejing, WANG Bin, JIANG Xianzhi, LIU Wende, ZHAO Changjiang, WU Hanxiang. Biocontrol and Growth-Promoting Effects of Composite Bacillus Seed Coating Agents on Maize Stalk Rot[J]. Chinese Journal of Biological Control, 2026, 42(1): 1-9.

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