Panax ginseng is an important medicinal herb due to its ability to strengthen the human immune system. However, due to the increasing needs of ginseng in medicine, the continuous cropping of ginseng has become more common and has resulted in increased problems with fungal decay. Thus, chemical fungicides are commonly used in ginseng plantings, which have caused fungicide residue problems. As an alternative control measure, biocontrol bacteria can be used to manage fungal pathogens. Additionally, these bacteria are environmentally friendly and can also improve stress tolerance in plants. In this study, an antifungal bacterial strain, TB6, that possesses ACC deaminase activity was isolated from the rhizosphere of ginseng plants. This strain was identified as Bacillus amyloliquefaciens. TB6 was applied to 2-year-old ginseng seedlings for a 2-year period, and its impact on the soil rhizosphere was evaluated. The results revealed that strain TB6 decreased fungal abundance and diversity; improved urease, catalase, and phosphatase activities; and decreased the cellulase activity of the rhizosphere soil. In addition, strain TB6 also promoted root growth and increased the fresh weight of ginseng roots, in addition to increasing polyphenol oxidase and catalase activities. These results may have practical implications for the use of biocontrol bacteria in ginseng plantings.
Keywords: ACC deaminase; Biocontrol bacteria; Fungi; Panax ginseng.