Application of <i>Bacillus velezensis</i> 160 for the Biocontrol of <i>Botrytis cinerea</i> in Pomegranate

<i>Botrytis cinerea</i> is the causal agent of gray mold, a disease that attacks many plants worldwide. This phytosanitary problem was reported in orchards in the State of Mexico, Mexico, specifically in pomegranate crops. This study isolated this phytopathogen from fruits collected in the municipality of Chilcuautla, state of Hidalgo, Mexico, indicating that the disease is spreading across the country. Two strains of phytopathogens, MIC and MID, were obtained after conducting Koch's postulates. These strains were identified molecularly by amplifying and analyzing the concatenated sequence of the regions that correspond to the internal transcribed spacer (ITS), glyceraldehyde-3-phosphate dehydrogenase (G3PDH), and DNA-dependent RNA polymerase subunit II (RPB2). In vitro confrontation tests demonstrated that <i>Bacillus velezensis</i> 160 inhibited the development of both strains of <i>B. cinerea</i> under study through the action of nonvolatile, thermostable, and volatile metabolites. Applying this bacterium to pomegranate orchards for two consecutive years (2022 and 2023) decreased the incidence, severity, and progression of the disease. We conclude that this bacterium can be used as a fungicide to control gray mold in pomegranate crops.[Formula: see text] Copyright © 2025 The Author(s). This is an open access article distributed under the CC BY 4.0 International license.