Bacteria such as Serratia, Burkholderia, Pseudomonas, Bacillus and actinomycetes from the genera Streptomycetes, Streptosporangium and Nacardiopsis are able to induce systemic resistance in plants (Kloepper et al., 1992), and shown biological traits like antibiotic activity and lysis. They have been isolated from a wide range of hosts including wild and cultivated crops, such as woody plants (Bills, 1996), banana (Pan et al., 1997) and oil palm (Tan et al., 2002; Abdullah et al., 2005; Zaiton et al., 2006). From the ecological point, the varied characteristics of bacteria and actinomycetes enhance the natural complexity and diversity of the plant environment, providing greater biological balance and stability. This article describes an in vitro method to evaluate the potential of bacteria and actinomycetes as biological control agents (BCA) against Ganoderma pathogenic to oil palm.

Main Research:  Dr Idris Abu Seman