In conclusion, this study reports new isolates of biocontrol bacteria
P. fluorescens (9A-14), Pseudomonas sp. (8D-45), and B. subtilis
(8B-1) with potential to suppress damping-off and root rot of cucumber
and to enhance plant growth. All 3 antagonistic bacteria
individually and in combination as seed treatments successfully
reduced damping-off disease and increased fresh masses of cucumber
plants. The populations of antagonistic bacteria in peat
and talc formulations declined over time but remained above
108 CFU/g during the 180 days of storage at room temperature.
However, the slight declines in populations during the first
20 days for irradiated peat and during the first 10 days for talc
powder formulations suggest that the formulated products
should be applied immediately after preparation for obtaining
maximum initial densities of antagonistic bacteria. This study
suggests that indigenous bacteria from agricultural soils can be
developed and formulated as biofungicides for minimizing early
crop losses due to seedling damping-off and root rot diseases and
for improving crop productivity in organic production systems.