Bacillus velezensis JCK-7158 biocontrol for rice fusarium head blight

Overview

Rice Fusarium head blight (FHB) is a devastating fungal disease that threatens rice production and contaminates grain with mycotoxins such as nivalenol. Current management relies heavily on synthetic fungicides, raising concerns about environmental impact and resistance development. JAN153Biotech Inc. has identified and developed a novel biocontrol agent, Bacillus velezensis JCK-7158, isolated from healthy rice plants as an endophytic bacterium. This strain delivers dual-action disease control through both direct antifungal activity and induced systemic resistance in the host plant. Field-validated performance demonstrates control efficacy comparable to conventional chemical fungicides, making it a strong candidate for sustainable rice protection.

Technical specifications

• Broad-spectrum antifungal activity: JCK-7158 antagonizes multiple phytopathogenic fungi responsible for major crop diseases
• Induced resistance mechanism: Activates plant defense pathways, confirmed by enhanced PR1 gene expression in transgenic Arabidopsis reporter plants expressing the GUS gene fused with the PR1 promoter
• Endophytic origin: Naturally colonizes rice plants, supporting persistence in the host environment
• Suspension concentrate (SC) formulation: Stable, field-ready formulation applied at 1,000-fold dilution
• Greenhouse performance: Reduces FHB development by 66%
• Field performance: Achieves 55% disease control value and 40% reduction in nivalenol mycotoxin accumulation, comparable to synthetic fungicides
• Future development targets: Expanded efficacy testing on barley and wheat FHB, multi-region rice trials, optimized fermentation and formulation processes, and microbiome characterization of seed and plant endosphere/episphere communities

Technology readiness level

JCK-7158 has progressed through laboratory isolation, greenhouse validation, and field-scale efficacy trials demonstrating performance comparable to commercial synthetic fungicides. The SC formulation has been optimized for field application. Remaining development activities include elucidating the precise molecular mechanism of induced resistance, expanding efficacy validation across additional crops (barley and wheat) and geographic regions, scaling fermentation and formulation manufacturing processes, and characterizing the strain's interaction with the rice microbiome. The technology is positioned for transition from research validation toward commercial microbial pesticide development.