Antifungal Activities of Bacillus mojavensis BQ-33 towards the Kiwifruit Black Spot Disease Caused by the Fungal Pathogen Didymella glomerata

‘Hongyang’ kiwifruit (Actinidia chinensis, cultivar ‘Hongyang’) black spot disease is caused by the fungal pathogen Didymella glomerata, and is a serious disease, causing considerable losses to the kiwifruit industry during growth of the fruit. Hence, we aimed to identify a potential biocontrol agent against D. glomerata. In this study, bacterial isolates from the rhizosphere soil of kiwifruit were tested for their potential antifungal activity against selected fungal pathogens. Based on a phylogenetic tree constructed using sequences of 16S rDNA and the gyrA gene, BQ-33 with the best antifungal activity was identified as Bacillus mojavensis. We evaluated the antagonistic activity and inhibitory mechanism of BQ-33 against D. glomerata. Confrontation experiments showed that both BQ-33 suspension and the sterile supernatant (SS) produced by BQ-33 possessed excellent broad-spectrum antifungal activity. Furthermore, the SS damaged the cell membrane and cell wall of the mycelia, resulting in the leakage of a large quantity of small ions (Na(+), K(+)), soluble proteins and nucleic acids. Chitinase and β-1,3-glucanase activities in SS increased in correlation with incubation time and remained at a high level for several days. An in vivo control efficacy assay indicated that 400 mL L(−1) of SS completely inhibited kiwifruit black spot disease caused by D. glomerata. Therefore, BQ-33 is a potential biocontrol agent against kiwifruit black spot and plant diseases caused by other fungal pathogens. To our knowledge, this is the first report of the use of a rhizosphere microorganism as a biocontrol agent against kiwifruit black spot disease caused by D. glomerata.