A Rhizosphere-Derived Consortium of and Suppresses Common Scab of Potato and Increases Yield.

The ability of a rhizosphere-derived microbial product (composed of a consortium of a strain of and a strain of ) to suppress common scab disease in potato caused by spp. was examined over a two-year period. Relative to the condition in which 0 kg·ha of the designated microbial product was applied (control), the disease index decreased by 30.6%-46.1%, and yield increased by 23.0%-32.2% in treatments in which 225 or 300 kg·ha of the microbial product was administered, respectively. The bacterial communities present in the rhizosphere were assessed at an early stage of tuber formation, a time at which tubers are susceptible to common scab. Potato plants in which soils were treated with 225 or 300 kg·ha of the microbial product harbored rhizospheric microbiota with lower α-diversity and an increased relative abundance of taxa representing the beneficial bacteria. In summary, a select microbial product composed of a consortium of and effectively suppressed common scab disease and increased tuber yield by establishing a high relative abundance of beneficial bacteria in the rhizosphere.