Protection of rice seedlings against Curvularia attack
The protective activity of the bacterial flora already present in the
rice CT6919 seeds was analyzed in 250-ml Erlenmeyer flasks containing
ca. 100 cm3
of autoclaved vermiculite watered with mineral Farhåeus
solution. Two surface-sterilized CT6919 seeds (either husked or dehusked)
were planted in each flask (5 flasks per treatment). The
Curvularia sp. inoculum was applied right above the planted seeds
as 100 μl of a suspension containing 104
conidia. The control seeds
received 100 μl of sterilized deionized water. After 7 days of growth in a greenhouse with a light:dark cycle of 16:8 h and temperatures
ranging 20-24°C), the number of emerged and healthy seedlings was
scored in each treatment.