From these results one Paenibacillus isolate (P16), at the concentration of 5 × 109 CFU/ml was selected as a potential biocontrol agent
To investigate if the disease control was provided via plant growth promotion, the P16 isolate was co-applied with Xcc as a seed treatment. In the presence of Xcc, P16treated seedlings had significantly (P ˂ 0.05) greater growth parameters including root length, leaf area, and root and shoot dry weight compared to the control
However, there was no significant difference in plant growth parameters between P16-treated seedlings and the control in the absence of the pathogen
This suggests that the P16 isolate enabled plants to survive and grow normally by reducing Xcc infection