Biocontrol of Rice Seedling Rot Disease Caused by and by Epiphytic Yeasts from Plant Leaves.

Seedling rot disease in rice leads to significant loss in the production of seedlings. This research was conducted to explore yeasts that could be used as biological control agents against rice seedling rot disease caused by and In total, 167 epiphytic yeast strains were evaluated, revealing that 13 of these yeast strains demonstrated antagonistic activities against fungal pathogens and either DOAC 2313 or DOAC 2293. The volatile organic compounds (VOCs) and biofilm produced were possible antagonistic mechanisms in vitro for all the antagonistic yeast strains. Using nursery trays in a greenhouse, this study evaluated the control of rice seedling rot disease caused by these two fungal pathogens using antagonistic yeasts, identified in the present study and from our previous study. DMKU-RP31 and YE-42 were found to completely control rice seedling rot disease caused by both of these fungal pathogens. Furthermore, DMKU-RP04 revealed 100% disease control when the disease was caused by . This is the first report on using antagonistic yeasts to control rice seedling rot disease caused by and . These three antagonistic yeasts also showed promising potential for development as biocontrol agents against rice seedling rot disease caused by fungi.