Abstract
The efficacy of Bacillus subtilis var. natto, a beneficial food microbe, was tested as a control for gray mold of strawberry. When five isolates of Bacillus subtilis var. natto were cultured with the gray mold fungus on potato sucrose agar plates, all isolates inhibited fungal growth. Isolate No. 2, which was the most inhibitory of the fungus in vitro, reduced disease progress in both detached leaves and flowers. These results suggest that isolate No. 2 of B. subtilis var. natto has potential as biological control agent of gray mold of strawberry plants.
