Pectin-enhanced bacillus bio fungicide for improved crop disease control and microbiome health

Overview

This solution offers a bio fungicide seed treatment that pairs novel spore-forming Bacillus strains with pectin-rich organic amendments to improve disease control in soybean and cotton. Bacillus species are well-suited as agricultural biocontrol agents due to their long shelf life and ability to produce metabolites that suppress fungal and oomycete pathogens. However, field performance of existing Bacillus-based products has often been inconsistent, limiting adoption of sustainable practices. By combining targeted Bacillus strains with a pectin-based prebiotic, this approach addresses key gaps in efficacy while supporting the development of a beneficial rhizosphere microbiome for healthier crops.

Technical specifications

Key features:

• A curated collection of Bacillus strains encoding biosynthetic gene clusters active against fungal and oomycete pathogens
• Screening of 293 Bacillus strains across 46 species against key soil-borne pathogens, with several strains showing strong inhibition of Fusarium, Rhizoctonia, and Pythium
• Bacillus strains capable of utilizing pectin-rich organic amendments as a sole carbon source, enabling synergistic delivery with the prebiotic
• Improved seed coating methods for applying pectin-rich amendments to soybean seeds, with demonstrated increases in soybean germination
• Microbiota sequencing of soil surrounding treated seeds to evaluate how introduced Bacillus strains reshape the rhizosphere into a disease-suppressive community

Technology readiness level

The technology is currently at an early-to-mid stage of development. Laboratory screening of Bacillus strains against multiple pathogens has been completed, and initial greenhouse-scale work has demonstrated improved soybean germination using combinations of pectin-rich amendments and Bacillus. Current efforts are focused on integrating select Bacillus strains with pectin-rich amendments to evaluate their role in shaping the plant microbiome. Future validation will include greenhouse and field trials on soybean and cotton against Fusarium oxysporum, Rhizoctonia solani, and Pythium ultimum, along with microbiome sequencing to guide development of a commercially viable seed treatment formulation.