Population dynamics of mushroom casing over the course of A. bisporus cultivation in the presence of two biocontrol agents Bacillus velezensis QST713 and Bacillus velezensis Kos.

The globally cultivated white button mushroom (Agaricus bisporus) is grown commercially at an industrial scale. It is consumed widely and has many beneficial nutritional qualities. One commercially available BCA commonly used on European mushroom farms is Serenade with Bacillus velezensis QST-713 as its active agent and has been shown to be effective at reducing the growth of disease-causing mushroom pathogens. Other Bacillus strains such as B. velezensis Kos have also shown potential as a BCA against mushroom disease. In this study, we investigated the impact of the BCAs, B. velezensis QST-713 and Kos on the population dynamics of the microbiota of mushroom casing. Amplicon sequencing of the ITS2 and 16S V3-V4 was undertaken.