Bacterial biocontrol of field pea root rot pathogen Aphanomyces euteiches

Aphanomyces root rot, caused by Aphanomyces euteiches (Drechs.), is a serious disease of field pea worldwide. However, no effective control measures are available for this disease. This project was therefore initiated to collect bacteria from commercial pea fields in Saskatchewan, Canada, and identify promising strains that can suppress the disease. Through in vitro, greenhouse, and outsides studies, several promising bacterial strains with potential to suppress the pathogen have been identified. Among those, genomes of three bacterial strains were sequenced for genomic characterization.