[6] The sequencing of its genome was very useful in understanding the mechanisms that allow the bacterium to function in agricultural capacities.

Bacillus firmus I-1582 (Bf I-1582) has proven to be an effective nematicide against nematodes such as Rodopholus similis, Xiphinema index, Heterodera sp., Ditylenchus sp., Tylenchulus semipenetrans and Meloidogyne sp.

[8] It has been used as a biopesticide to control Meloidogyne incognita, or southern root-knot nematode, and Pseudopyrenochaeta lycopersici, a fungal plant pathogen, on the growth of tomato crops in an integrated pest management environment.

When applied independently and with the chemicals oxamyl and fosthiazate, Bf I-1582 was found to have suppressed both nematode and fungus populations.

[6] The draft genome sequence developed allowed researchers to further understand the exact biological mechanisms that grant B. firmus its nematicidal properties, as well as elucidate the evolutionary relationships between Bacillus strains of marine origin and those found in soil.