Abstract

The utilization of chitinolytic bacterial isolates Enterobacter sp. KR05, Enterobactercloacae LK08, Bacillus sp. BK13, Enterobacter sp. BK15, and Bacillus sp. BK17 to control basal stem rot disease caused by Ganoderma boninense in oil palm seedling was studied. Antagonistic assay of chitinolytic bacterial isolates to G. boninense was conducted in minimum salt medium agar with 2% colloidal chitin as sole carbon source. To examine ability of the isolates in reducing basal stem rot disease incidence, the 3 to 4 months old of oil palm seedlings were treated by pouring oil palm seedling growing media with chitinolytic bacterial isolates a day prior infestation of G. boninense spores. The result showed that all chitinolytic isolates inhibited the growth of G. boninense in vitro. Hyphal abnormalities that is, dwarf, tiny, curled, twisted and bulby hyphae were observed after antagonistic assay. All chitinolytic isolates were able to reduce the disease incidence on the oil palm seedling to some extent. The isolates might infest into the oil palm seedling root as endophytes.

Key words: Antagonistic assay, chitinolytic bacteria, Ganoderma boninense, hyphal abnormality, oil palm.