Abstract:
To develop efficient and environmentally friendly methods for controlling white mold disease
Morchella esculenta, dominant fungi and bacteria were isolated from both healthy and diseased morel soil samples using the dilution plate coating method. Subsequently, multi-gene molecular identification was conducted targeting the ITS, EF-1α, and LSU genes of the dominant fungi, and the 16S rDNA and gyrB genes of the dominant bacteria. Finally, indoor and field control experiments were carried out to evaluate the efficacy of different inoculation strategies: pre-inoculation with the biocontrol agent, pre-inoculation with the pathogen, and simultaneous inoculation. The results identified *
Pseudodiploöspora longispora* as the pathogenic fungus and *
Cytobacillus firmus* as the biocontrol bacterium. Both indoor and field experiments demonstrated that pre-inoculation with the biocontrol bacterial suspension achieved the best control efficacy, with rates of 80% and 73.3%, respectively. Pre-inoculation with the pathogen showed the poorest control efficacy, at 33% and 26.7%, respectively, while simultaneous inoculation resulted in intermediate control efficacy of 53% and 50%, respectively. In conclusion, pre-inoculation with the fermentation broth of *
Cytobacillus firmus* yielded the highest control efficacy in both indoor and field conditions, with indoor efficacy consistently higher than field efficacy, suggesting its potential for effective management of white mold disease in morels.