| Summary: | Due to the increasing health and environmental risks associated with the use of fungicides in agriculture, alternatives—such as using plant growth-promoting bacteria (PGPB) to suppress phytopathogens—that simultaneously improve plant yield, are important. This study evaluated the biocontrol efficiency of <i>Bacillus velezensis</i> CE100 against <i>Macrophomina phaseolina</i> and <i>Fusarium oxysporum f. sp. fragariae,</i> the respective causal agents for charcoal rot and fusarium wilt diseases in strawberry, and its potential to enhance strawberry growth and fruit production. <i>B. velezensis</i> CE 100 produced fungal cell wall-degrading enzymes, chitinases, and β-1,3-glucanases; and inhibited the mycelial growth of <i>M. phaseolina</i> and <i>F. oxysporum</i> f. sp. <i>fragariae</i> by 64.7% and 55.2%, respectively. The mycelia of both phytopathogenic fungi showed severe swelling and rupturing of the hyphae compared to the smooth, normal growth in the control group. Moreover, <i>B. velezensis</i> CE100 produced up to 2.8 units/mL of indole-3-acetic acid (IAA) during incubation and enhanced root biomass in strawberries. Consequently, <i>B. velezensis</i> CE 100 not only increased the fruit yield of strawberries by controlling the fungal diseases but also through enhancing plant growth. The findings of this study indicate that <i>B. velezensis</i> CE100 could be a safe, ecofriendly biocontrol alternative to chemical fungicides in strawberry production.
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