Antagonism of Chaetomium globosum to the Rice Blast Pathogen, Pyricularia oryzae

Abstract

The rice blast antagonist Chaetomium globosum isolated from upland rice field soils in the Philippines was antagonistic to Pyricularia oryzae. Coating rice seeds cv. IR442-2-58 with spore suspension (4 x 10⁵ spore/ml) and culture extract from a specific strain of C. globosum resulted in preventing the early infection of rice blast pathogen. The non-treated seeds were as effective as captan. Benefits from coating rice seeds also increased emergence of shoots, greater fresh weight of plants, taller plants and lower disease incidence. The results suggest that screening for antagonism should not be limited to species only but should consider specific strains within species because antagonistic activity varied among strains species.