An investigation of nematode biological control potential in rice under oxic and anoxic soil environments

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Studies on the tripartite interaction between a soilborne plant pathogen, its microbial antagonist(s), and the host plant have been largely restricted to aerobic agricultural systems, while there is no knowledge about such interrelationships in the anoxic environment surrounding a rice root. Understanding this unique environment is essential for assessing the capacity to implement biological control of root pathogens in rice, the globally dominant staple food crop. The primary goals of this project are to understand the effect of anoxic-oxic soil environments on i) the population dynamics of a bacteria (Bacillus megaterium) introduced for biocontrol of a plant-parasitic nematode (Meloidogyne graminicola), and ii) on the range of possible interactions between the bacteria and the nematode. This is the first investigation of such parasite-antagonist interactions under oxic/anoxic conditions, and will provide a model for root pathogen/parasite biocontrol under soil water environments unique to rice. The research utilizes a synergistic combination of phytopathological, microbiological and molecular methods to investigate such pathogen-antagonist interactions.