Abstract
Red root rot disease is a devastating fungal disease of rubber trees caused by Ganoderma pseudoferreum (Wakef). Biocontrols using beneficial microorganisms are safe and sustainable. We isolated a DHR18 endophytic bacterium from a healthy rubber tree to obtain a new efficient antagonistic bacterium for red root rot disease affecting rubber trees and evaluated the mechanism of action involved using a double culture assay, genome annotation analysis, and the ethyl acetate extraction method. The results revealed that the DHR18 strain inhibits G. pseudoferreum growth and has broad-spectrum antifungal activity by secreting cell wall hydrolases (proteases and chitinases), indole-3-acetic acid, and siderophores. Furthermore, it fixes nitrogen and is involved in biofilm formation and phosphate solubilisation, improving disease resistance and tree growth. The results showed that the antifungal substances secreted by DHR18 are mainly lipopeptides. Simultaneously, DHR18 enhanced the rubber tree resistance to G. pseudoferreum by increasing the activities of defence enzymes superoxide dismutase, phenylalanine ammonia lyase, peroxidase, catalase, and polyphenol oxidase. The results indicate that B. arboris DHR18 has biocontrol potential and could be used as a candidate strain for the control of red root rot disease in rubber trees.