Re-isolation of all the five biocontrol organisms in their
respective growth medium with antibiotics in which they were
resistant indicate their direct involvement in the controlling process.
Also a sufficient CFU count ranging 5 105–5 106 per gram
of fruit surface homogenate on re-isolation medium proved their
efficacy as biocontrol agents.
The inhibitory action of the five biocontrol strains on R. stolonifer
VBAM1 was also evidentially proved when clear mycelial disintegration
and damage was observed in scanning electron
micrographs of the pathogen upon treatment with either B. cenocepacia
VBC7, P. poae VBK1 or three strains of L. lactis subsp. lactis
(Fig. 7B–F) compared to its untreated control (Fig. 7A) where intact
mycelial structures were observed. Such degradation was probably
due to chitinase or b-glucanase as observed in other biocontrol
organisms (