The aim of this study was to test a biofungicide based on Bacillus subtilis
Ch-13 and its effectiveness in the control of green mould disease of
cultivated mushroom in comparison with the fungicide prochloraz.
Biofungicide effectiveness in disease control and impact on yield were
evaluated on Agaricus bisporus after its natural infection with Trichoderma
aggressivum in a commercial mushroom growing facility. An assay for testing
the microbial efficacy of the biofungicide was conducted in two different
procedures involving either three or two split doses. The highest
statistically significant effectiveness in green mould control was shown by
the fungicide prochloraz (71.43%), followed by the biofungicide applied in
tree split doses (53.57%), and finally its two doses (45.46%). The
biofungicide significantly improved yield in comparison with an untreated
control and the fungicide prochloraz. Three split applications of B.
subtilis strain Ch-13 enhanced mushroom yield to a larger extent than its
two split doses, although the same final amount was used in both procedures.
Biofungicide application in three split doses increased the total mass of
harvested mushrooms 8.41% compared to the untreated control, and 10.53%
compared to the fungicide prochloraz. These results implied that the
biofungicide should be applied in three split applications: 30 ml (second
day after casing) + 15 ml (two weeks after casing) + 15 ml (after first
flush, 20-25 days after casing). The biofungicide B. subtilis Ch-13 should
be further investigated regarding its joint usage with chemical fungicides
in different application procedures, as it showed remarkable characteristics
both in terms of promoting mushroom yield and inhibiting the spread of
mycopathogenic T. aggressivum.
A large-scale study on the effectiveness of a Bacillus subtilis Ch-13-based biofungicide against green mould disease and mushroom yield improvement
