Inoculation of Panax ginseng plants with B. subtilis significantly suppressed the number of disease lesions of C. panacicola and was as effective as the chemical fungicide iminoctadine tris(albesilate). The antifungal activity of B. subtilis against C. panacicola was observed on a co-culture medium. Interestingly, treatment with B. subtilis did not significantly affect the diameter of the lesions, suggesting that the mechanism of protection was through the reduction in the incidence of infection related to the initial
events of the infection cycle, including penetration and infection via spore germination and appressorium formation rather than by the inhibition of invasive growth after infection.
Conclusion: Our results suggest that B. subtilis HK-CSM-1 can be used as an effective and ecologically friendly biological control agent for anthracnose in P. ginseng.