In the pot experiment, the following five treatments were applied: (1) CK1 (soil not inoculated with any microbe), (2) CK2 (soil inoculated with 1.5 g of R. solani Q1 kg−1 soil), (3) OF (soil inoculated with 1.5 g of R. solani Q1 kg−1 soil and amended with 1% OF), (4) N (soil inoculated with 1.5 g of R. solani Q1 kg−1 soil and 107 cells of N43 g−1 soil) and (5) BIO (soil inoculated with 1.5 g of R. solani Q1 kg−1 soil and 1% BIO). Four days after inoculation, pre-germinated cucumber seeds were planted in the soil. Twenty days after inoculation, the cucumber seedlings were harvested. Diseased plants and the dry weights and lengths of shoots of surviving plants were evaluated.
The pot experiments were carried out in a greenhouse located at Yixing, China during May to June 2010. The temperature ranged from 23 °C to 30 °C and the relative humidity from 60% to 85%. In the pot experiment, each pot was filled with 150 g of infested soil, and one germinated seed was planted per pot. There were 3 replications of each treatment, and each replication contained 10 pots. The experiment was repeated twice.