Industrial hemp (Cannabis sativa L.) is a multipurpose plant used in several fields. Several phytopathogens attack hemp crops. Fusarium oxysporum is a common fungal pathogen that causes wilt disease in nurseries and in field cultivation and causes high losses. In the present study, a pathogenic strain belonging to F. oxysporum f. sp. cannabis was isolated from a plant showing Fusarium wilt. After isolation, identification was conducted based on morphological and molecular characterizations and pathogenicity tests. Selected plant growth-promoting bacteria with interesting biocontrol properties-Azospirillum brasilense, Gluconacetobacter diazotrophicus, Herbaspirillum seropedicae and Burkholderia ambifaria-were tested against this pathogen. In vitro antagonistic activity was determined by the dual culture method. Effective strains (in vitro inhibition > of 50%) G. diazotrophicus, H. seropedicae and B. ambifaria were combined in a consortium and screened for in planta antagonistic activity in pre-emergence (before germination) and post-emergence (after germination). The consortium counteracted Fusarium infection both in pre-emergence and post-emergence. Our preliminary results show that the selected consortium could be further investigated as an effective biocontrol agent for the management of this pathogen.
Keywords: Fusarium wilt; ITS barcoding; PGPB; biocontrol; industrial hemp; scanning electron microscopy.