Fungal communities associated with species of Fraxinus tolerant to ash dieback,and their potential for biological control

Ash dieback, caused by the fungus Hymenoscyphus fraxineus, has threatened ash trees in Europe for more than two decades. However, little is known of how endophytic communities affect the pathogen, and no effective disease management tools are available. While European ash (Fraxinus excelsior) is severely affected by the disease, other more distantly related ash species do not seem to be affected. We hypothesise that fungal endophytic communities of tolerant ash species can protect the species against ash dieback, and that selected endophytes have potential as biocontrol agents. These hypotheses were tested by isolating members of the fungal communities of five tolerant ash species, and identifying them using ITS regions. Candidate endophytes were tested by an in vitro antagonistic assay with H.fraxineus. From a total of 196 isolates we identified 9 fungal orders, 15 families, and 40 species. Fungi in orders Pleosporales, such as Boeremia exigua and Diaporthe spp., and Hypocreales (e.g., Fusarium sp.), were recovered in most communities, suggesting they are common taxa. The in vitro antagonistic assay revealed five species with high antagonistic activity against H. fraxineus. These endophytes were identified based on ITS region as Sclerostagonospora sp., Setomelanomma holmii, Epicoccum nigrum, B. exigua and Fusarium sp. Three of these taxa have been described previously as antagonists of plant pathogenic microbes, and are of interest for future studies of their potential as biological control agents against ash dieback, especially for valuable ash trees in parks and urban areas.     

Endophytic fungi from the root tubers of medicinal plant Stephania dielsiana and their antimicrobial activity

The adverse effects of chemical synthetic fungicides on agricultural fields and the environment are driving a need to search for safer and less environmentally harmful plant protectants to move toward more sustainable development of agriculture. The endophytic fungal community associated with the medicinal plant Stephania dielsiana, and its potential for providing antimicrobial secondary metabolites were investigated. A total of 26 isolates of endophytic fungi were obtained, and 21 isolates were identified and classified into eight different genera, including Briansuttonomyces, Glomerella, Pleosporales, Diaporthe, Phoma, Penicillium, Periconia and Colletotrichum, and the most frequent endophytic species obtained were Diaporthe phaseolorum, Penicillium sp., Periconia igniari and Colletotrichum sp. The ethyl acetate (EtOAc) extract of the endophytic fungus Diaporthe phaseolorum Stdif6 displayed the most significant antifungal activity against all tested phytopathogens, with EC₅₀ values ranging from 0.0138 to 0.3103 mg/mL. While the EtOAc extract of the endophytic fungus Penicillium sp. Stdif9 exhibited greater potential for antibacterial activity, with the minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) values against seven bacteria ranging from 1.25 to 6 mg/mL. The remarkable antimicrobial activity of fungal endophytes suggests that fungal endophytes harbored inside the root tubers of S. dielsiana hold great promise as biocontrol agents against a broad spectrum of economically significant pathogens.     

Plant growth promoting potential of bacterial endophytes in novel association with <Emphasis Type="Italic">Olea ferruginea</Emphasis> and <Emphasis Type="Italic">Withania coagulans</Emphasis>

Microbially unexplored medicinal plants can have a genetically diverse microbial population with multi-functional plant growth promoting traits. In this aspect, 75 endophytic bacterial isolates with plant growth promoting traits were isolated from Withania coagulans Dunal and Olea ferruginea Royal. Many of these bacteria were able to solubilize phosphate, produce indole-3-acetic acid, ammonia as well as hydrogen cyanide, synthesize extracellular enzymes and show antagonistic activities against plant pathogenic fungi under in vitro conditions. These isolates were also characterized by morphological and biochemical analysis. Furthermore, four representative isolates with pronounced plant growth promoting activities were identified as Enterobacter cloacae, Enterobacter dissolvens, Enterobacter hormaechei and Cronobacter sakazakii by 16S rDNA sequencing analysis. This work for the first time, reported the isolation of endophytic bacteria, the novel association form selected plants, Withania coagulans and Olea ferruginea. The explored endophytes might have great potential in the field of biocontrol and plant growth promoting for sustainable agricultural practices.     

Novel bacterial endophytes from Hevea brasiliensis as biocontrol agent against Phytophthora leaf fall disease

Bacterial endophytes offer control against many diseases of crop plants as potential biocontrol agents. Antagonistic bacterial endophytes acting against Phytophthora meadii have been screened from leaf, petiole and root tissues of Hevea brasiliensis. Six bacterial endophytes could exhibit more than 50 % inhibition of P. meadii, among which EIL-2, from disease-free zones showed a maximum of 62.5 % inhibition. The isolate EIL-2 was characterized as Alcaligenes sp. and the other isolates were identified as Pseudomonas aeruginosa. 16S rDNA sequence analysis showed that there existed genetic variation among the five isolates of P. aeruginosa from different tissues of the plant indicating the tissue type adaptation of the isolates. Dual culture technique with endophyte EIL-2 completely arrested the growth of P. meadii when inoculated prior to pathogen. The bioassay with EIL-2 in H. brasiliensis clones, RRII 105 showed 43 % reduction of lesion size on infected leaves whereas in RRIM 600 it was only 30 %.     

Fungal endophytes of turmeric (<Emphasis Type="Italic">Curcuma longa</Emphasis> L.) and their biocontrol potential against pathogens <Emphasis Type="Italic">Pythium aphanidermatum</Emphasis> and <Emphasis Type="Italic">Rhizoctonia solani</Emphasis>

Endophytic fungi have been isolated from the healthy turmeric (Curcuma longa L.) rhizomes from South India. Thirty-one endophytes were identified based on morphological and ITS–rDNA sequence analysis. The isolated endophytes were screened for antagonistic activity against Pythium aphanidermatum (Edson) Fitzp., and Rhizoctonia solani Kuhn., causing rhizome rot and leaf blight diseases in turmeric respectively. Results revealed that only six endophytes showed >?70% suppression of test pathogens in antagonistic dual culture assays. The endophyte T. harzianum TharDOB-31 showed significant in vitro mycelial growth inhibition of P. aphanidermatum (76.0%) and R. solani (76.9%) when tested by dual culture method. The SEM studies of interaction zone showed morphological abnormalities like parasitism, shriveling, breakage and lysis of hyphae of the pathogens by endophyte TharDOB-31. Selected endophytic isolates recorded multiple plant growth promoting traits in in vitro studies. The rhizome bacterization followed by soil application of endophyte TharDOB-31 showed lowest Percent Disease Incidence of rhizome rot and leaf blight, 13.8 and 11.6% respectively. The treatment of TharDOB-31 exhibited significant increase in plant height (85 cm) and fresh rhizome yield/plant (425 g) in comparison with untreated control under greenhouse condition. The confocal microscopy validates the colonization of the TharDOB-31 in turmeric rhizomes. The secondary metabolites in ethyl acetate extract of TharDOB-31 were found to contain higher number of antifungal compounds by high resolution liquid chromatograph mass spectrometer analysis. Thereby, endophyte T. harzianum isolate can be exploited as a potential biocontrol agent for suppressing rhizome rot and leaf blight diseases in turmeric.     

Biological Control of Oomycete Soilborne Diseases Caused by Phytophthora capsici,Phytophthora infestans,and Phytophthora nicotianae in Solanaceous Crops

Oomycete pathogens that belong to the genus Phytophthora cause devastating diseases in solanaceous crops such as pepper, potato, and tobacco, resulting in crop production losses worldwide. Although the application of fungicides efficiently controls these diseases, it has been shown to trigger negative side effects such as environmental pollution, phytotoxicity, and fungicide resistance in plant pathogens. Therefore, biological control of Phytophthora-induced diseases was proposed as an environmentally sound alternative to conventional chemical control. In this review, progress on biological control of the soilborne oomycete plant pathogens, Phytophthora capsici, Phytophthora infestans, and Phytophthora nicotianae, infecting pepper, potato, and tobacco is described. Bacterial (e.g., Acinetobacter, Bacillus, Chryseobacterium, Paenibacillus, Pseudomonas, and Streptomyces) and fungal (e.g., Trichoderma and arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi) agents, and yeasts (e.g., Aureobasidium, Curvibasidium, and Metschnikowia) have been reported as successful biocontrol agents of Phytophthora pathogens. These microorganisms antagonize Phytophthora spp. via antimicrobial compounds with inhibitory activities against mycelial growth, sporulation, and zoospore germination. They also trigger plant immunity-inducing systemic resistance via several pathways, resulting in enhanced defense responses in their hosts. Along with plant protection, some of the microorganisms promote plant growth, thereby enhancing their beneficial relations with host plants. Although the beneficial effects of the biocontrol microorganisms are acceptable, single applications of antagonistic microorganisms tend to lack consistent efficacy compared with chemical analogues. Therefore, strategies to improve the biocontrol performance of these prominent antagonists are also discussed in this review.     

拮抗植物病原真菌链霉菌菌株ZH-356的鉴定及其生防评价

[目的]对实验室分离到的菌株ZH-356进行鉴定并评价其对植物病原真菌的生物防治效果,为研发针对植物真菌病害的生防菌剂提供理论指导。[方法]通过平板对峙法确定菌株ZH-356抗菌谱,并通过16S rRNA基因序列分析确定其种属,利用离体枝条的苹果树腐烂病菌感染预防试验和患腐烂病苹果树的防治试验评价其生防效果。[结果]菌株ZH-356鉴定为链霉菌属,与直丝紫链霉菌(Streptomyces rectiviolaceus)相似性最高,为99.71%。抗菌谱试验表明,菌株ZH-356对苹果树腐烂病菌、小麦赤霉病菌、小麦根腐病菌和番茄早疫病菌等多种植物病原真菌均具有较强的抑制作用,这种抑制作用可导致苹果树腐烂病菌菌丝变粗、交叉扭曲、分支变少且容易断裂。此外,ZH-356产生的抑菌活性物质对温度和酸碱度具有高度稳定性,并且该活性物质只存在于其胞内,只有当ZH-356遇到植物病原真菌时才会被分泌出来以抑制它们的生长。在离体枝条的苹果树腐烂病菌感染预防试验中,ZH-356对苹果树腐烂病防效可达94%以上,而在患腐烂病苹果树的防治试验中,ZH-356菌制剂对苹果树腐烂病的防效高达100%。[结论]链霉菌ZH-356抑菌谱广,对多种植物病原真菌均具有良好的拮抗活性,可作为防治植物真菌病害的生防菌株,为基于ZH-356菌株的生防菌剂的开发和防治苹果树腐烂病等植物真菌病害奠定了基础。     

Biodiversity study and potential of fungal endophytes of peppermint and effect of their extract on chickpea rot pathogens

India is the highest producer of Cicer arietinum, however the crop is susceptible to plant fungal diseases i.e. Sclerotinia sclerotiorum, Botrytis cinerea, Fusarium oxysporum and Rhizoctonia solani. For a sustainable alternative, anti-plant pathogenic efficacy of fungal endophytes were investigated. Endophytic fungi of Mentha piperita were investigated for biodiversity, biocontrol potential towards these phytopathogens and their metabolite profiling. Sixty three fungal isolates were recovered from peppermints sampled in different seasons from distinct regions of India. Endophytic fungi were identified by ITS-rDNA sequence process. PCA divulged seasonal variability with exclusive presence of Colletotrichum sp., D. phaseolorum, Alternaria sp., Hypocrea sp. and R. oryzae in second sampling season. Shannon diversity index (H′) was found to be highest in leaf (1.253) from Mukteshwar. Acremonium sp. (MPM-2.1) extract exhibited anti-plant pathogenic activity with < 1 mg/ml IC₅₀ value towards phytopathogens. GC-MS chromatography of potent biocontrol fungus Acremonium sp. (MPHSS-2.1) confirmed presence of antifungal compounds 1-heptacosanol and 1-nonadecane.     

Chitinolytic activity of endophytic Streptomyces and potential for biocontrol

Aims: Biological sources for the control of plant pathogenic fungi remain an important objective for sustainable agricultural practices. Actinomycetes are used extensively in the pharmaceutical industry and agriculture owing to their great diversity in enzyme production. In the present study, therefore, we evaluated chitinase production by endophytic actinomycetes and the potential of this for control of phytopathogenic fungi. Methods and Results: Endophytic Streptomyces were grown on minimum medium supplemented with chitin, and chitinase production was quantified. The strains were screened for any activity towards phytopathogenic fungi and oomycetes by a dual‐culture in vitro assay. The correlation between chitinase production and pathogen inhibition was calculated and further confirmed on Colletotrichum sublineolum cell walls by scanning electron microscopy. Conclusions: This paper reports a genetic correlation between chitinase production and the biocontrol potential of endophytic actinomycetes in an antagonistic interaction with different phytopathogens, suggesting that this control could occur inside the host plant. Significance and Impact of the Study: A genetic correlation between chitinase production and pathogen inhibition was demonstrated. Our results provide an enhanced understanding of endophytic Streptomyces and its potential as a biocontrol agent. The implications and applications of these data for biocontrol are discussed.     

Isolation and characterization of soil Streptomyces species as potential biological control agents against fungal plant pathogens

The use of antagonist microorganisms against fungal plant pathogens is an attractive and ecologically alternative to the use of chemical pesticides. Streptomyces are beneficial soil bacteria and potential candidates for biocontrol agents. This study reports the isolation, characterization and antagonist activity of soil streptomycetes from the Los Petenes Biosphere Reserve, a Natural protected area in Campeche, Mexico. The results showed morphological, physiological and biochemical characterization of six actinomycetes and their inhibitory activity against Curvularia sp., Aspergillus niger, Helminthosporium sp. and Fusarium sp. One isolate, identified as Streptomyces sp. CACIS-1.16CA showed the potential to inhibit additional pathogens as Alternaria sp., Phytophthora capsici, Colletotrichum sp. and Rhizoctonia sp. with percentages ranging from 47 to 90 %. This study identified a streptomycete strain with a broad antagonist activity that could be used for biocontrol of plant pathogenic fungi.     

Quality control by leaf-cutting ants: evidence from communities of endophytic fungi in foraged and rejected vegetation

Leaf-cutting ants of the genera Acromyrmex and Atta forage vegetation for incorporation into their mutualistic fungal gardens. However, the presence of certain endophytic fungi in this predominantly leaf-based material could affect the fungal garden and thus the choice of material by the ants. The present study was conducted to document the endophytic fungal communities occurring in the vegetation being transported by workers of Atta laevigata into their nests and to compare this community structure with that of the vegetative material subsequently rejected from the nests. We found considerable diversity in the fungi isolated. Acremonium, Cylindrocladium, Drechslera, Epicoccum, Fusarium, Trichoderma, Ulocladium and two unidentified morphospecies were significantly more common in rejected compared with foraged material, and some of these genera include mycoparasites, which could represent a threat to the fungal gardens. Conversely, Colletotrichum, Pestalotiopsis, Phomopsis, Xylaria and an unidentified morphospecies were more common in carried compared with rejected material. The possibility that ants have a ‘quality-control’ mechanism based on the presence of antagonistic fungal endophytes is discussed, as is the potential use of these fungi as biocontrol agents against Attini pests.     

Endophytic bacterial community living in roots of healthy and ‘Candidatus Phytoplasma mali’-infected apple (Malus domestica, Borkh.) trees

‘Candidatus Phytoplasma mali’, the causal agent of apple proliferation (AP) disease, is a quarantine pathogen controlled by chemical treatments against insect vectors and eradication of diseased plants. In accordance with the European Community guidelines, novel strategies should be developed for sustainable management of plant diseases by using resistance inducers (e.g. endophytes). A basic point for the success of this approach is the study of endophytic bacteria associated with plants. In the present work, endophytic bacteria living in healthy and ‘Ca. Phytoplasma mali’-infected apple trees were described by cultivation-dependent and independent methods. 16S rDNA sequence analysis showed the presence of the groups Proteobacteria, Acidobacteria, Bacteroidetes, Actinobacteria, Chlamydiae, and Firmicutes. In detail, library analyses underscored 24 and 17 operational taxonomic units (OTUs) in healthy and infected roots, respectively, with a dominance of Betaproteobacteria. Moreover, differences in OTUs number and in CFU/g suggested that phytoplasmas could modify the composition of endophytic bacterial communities associated with infected plants. Intriguingly, the combination of culturing methods and cloning analysis allowed the identification of endophytic bacteria (e.g. Bacillus, Pseudomonas, and Burkholderia) that have been reported as biocontrol agents. Future research will investigate the capability of these bacteria to control ‘Ca. Phytoplasma mali’ in order to develop sustainable approaches for managing AP.     

Multi-Method Approach for Characterizing the Interaction between Fusarium verticillioides and Bacillus thuringiensis Subsp. Kurstaki

Bacterial antagonists used as biocontrol agents represent part of an integrated management program to reduce pesticides in the environment. Bacillus thuringiensis is considered a good alternative as a biocontrol agent for suppressing plant pathogens such as Fusarium. In this study, we used microscopy, flow cytometry, indirect immunofluorescence, and high performance liquid chromatography to determine the interaction between B. thuringiensis subsp. kurstaki LFB-FIOCRUZ (CCGB) 257 and F. verticillioides MRC 826, an important plant pathogen frequently associated with maize. B. thuringiensis showed a strong in vitro suppressive effect on F. verticillioides growth and inhibited fumonisin production. Flow cytometry analysis was found to be adequate for characterizing the fungal cell oscillations and death during these interactions. Further studies of the antagonistic effect of this isolate against other fungi and in vivo testing are necessary to determine the efficacy of B. thuringiensis subsp. kurstaki in controlling plant pathogens. This is the first report on the use of flow cytometry for quantifying living and apoptotic F. verticillioides cells and the B. thuringiensis Cry 1Ab toxin.     

In Vitro and In Vivo Plant Growth Promoting Activities and DNA Fingerprinting of Antagonistic Endophytic Actinomycetes Associates with Medicinal Plants

Endophytic actinomycetes have shown unique plant growth promoting as well as antagonistic activity against fungal phytopathogens. In the present study forty-two endophytic actinomycetes recovered from medicinal plants were evaluated for their antagonistic potential and plant growth-promoting abilities. Twenty-two isolates which showed the inhibitory activity against at least one pathogen were subsequently tested for their plant-growth promoting activities and were compared genotypically using DNA based fingerprinting, including enterobacterial repetitive intergenic consensus (ERIC) and BOX repetitive elements. Genetic relatedness based on both ERIC and BOX-PCR generates specific patterns corresponding to particular genotypes. Exponentially grown antagonistic isolates were used to evaluate phosphate solubilization, siderophores, HCN, ammonia, chitinase, indole-3-acetic acid production, as well as antifungal activities. Out of 22 isolates, the amount of indole-3-acetic acid (IAA) ranging between 10–32 μg/ml was produced by 20 isolates and all isolates were positive for ammonia production ranging between 5.2 to 54 mg/ml. Among 22 isolates tested, the amount of hydroxamate-type siderophores were produced by 16 isolates ranging between 5.2 to 36.4 μg/ml, while catechols-type siderophores produced by 5 isolates ranging from 3.2 to 5.4 μg/ml. Fourteen isolates showed the solubilisation of inorganic phosphorous ranging from 3.2 to 32.6 mg/100ml. Chitinase and HCN production was shown by 19 and 15 different isolates, respectively. In addition, genes of indole acetic acid (iaaM) and chitinase (chiC) were successively amplified from 20 and 19 isolates respectively. The two potential strains Streptomyces sp. (BPSAC34) and Leifsonia xyli (BPSAC24) were tested in vivo and improved a range of growth parameters in chilli (Capsicum annuum L.) under greenhouse conditions. This study is the first published report that actinomycetes can be isolated as endophytes from within these plants and were shown to have antagonistic and plant growth promoting abilities. These results clearly suggest the possibility of using endophytic actinomycetes as bioinoculant for plant growth promotion, nutrient mobilization or as biocontrol agent against fungal phytopathogens for sustainable agriculture.     

温郁金内生真菌Chaetomium globosum L18对植物病原菌的抑菌谱及拮抗机理

通过体外培养法,研究了药用植物温郁金内生真菌Chaetomium globosum L18对几种常见的植物病原菌的抑菌谱及其拮抗机理。结果表明,Chaetomium globosum L18对多种植物病原真菌和细菌均有不同程度的抑制作用,具有较广的抑菌谱,但对不同植物病原菌的抑制作用具有显著性差异(P<0.05),抑制率最高可达到92.9%;抑菌机制结果显示,竞争作用和重寄生作用是其主要的拮抗机制之一;发酵产物抑制作用测定发现,内生真菌Chaetomium globosum L18能够分泌产生抗菌物质抑制病原菌菌丝的生长和孢子萌发,可引起病原菌菌丝菌丝膨大成串珠状,分枝增多,分枝顶端膨胀后细胞壁破裂,原生质外溢,产生溶菌作用;使分生孢子萌发畸形,萌发率降低。     

Echinacea purpurea microbiota: bacterial–fungal interactions and the interplay with host and non-host plant species in vitro dual culture

• Important evidence is reported on the antimicrobial and antagonistic properties of bacterial endophytes in Echinacea purpurea and their role in the modulation of plant synthesis of bioactive compounds. Here, endophytic fungi were isolated from E. purpurea, and the dual culture approach was applied to deepen insights into the complex plant–microbiome interaction network.
• In vitro experiments were carried out to evaluate the species specificity of the interaction between host (E. purpurea) and non-host (E. angustifolia and Nicotiana tabacum) plant tissues and bacterial or fungal endophytes isolated from living E. purpurea plants to test interactions between fungal and bacterial endophytes.
• A higher tropism towards plant tissue and growth was observed for both fungal and bacterial isolates compared to controls without plant tissue. The growth of all fungi was significantly inhibited by several bacterial strains that, in turn, were scarcely affected by the presence of fungi. Finally, E. purpurea endophytic bacteria were able to inhibit mycelial growth of the phytopathogen Botrytis cinerea.
• Bacteria and fungi living in symbiosis with wild Echinacea plants interact with each other and could represent a potential source of bioactive compounds and a biocontrol tool.

     

Fungal growth promotor endophytes: a pragmatic approach towards sustainable food and agriculture

Agricultural productivity suffers a heavy loss due to plant pathogens, insect pests and various abiotic stresses. Agriculture being the world’s largest economic sector, it is the need of time to find and establish the ideal strategy for sustainable agriculture and improvement in crop growth. Endophytes are microorganisms that asymptomatically grow within the plant tissues without causing any disease to the host. Endophytic fungi live in symbiotic association with plants and play an important role in plant growth promotion, higher seed yield and plants resistant to various biotic, abiotic stresses and diseases. Many are able to produce antimicrobial compounds, plant growth hormones and various agrochemical bioactive metabolites. These mycoendophytes hold enormous potential for the development of eco-friendly and economically viable agricultural products. In this review we focused on the endophytic fungi recovered from different medicinal plants, their active principles involved in plant growth enhancement and the applications of fungal endophytes in agriculture. Moreover, we also discussed about endophytic fungi and their pragmatic approach towards sustainable food and agriculture.     

Trichoderma/pathogen/plant interaction in pre-harvest food security

Large losses before crop harvesting are caused by plant pathogens, such as viruses, bacteria, oomycetes, fungi, and nematodes. Among these, fungi are the major cause of losses in agriculture worldwide. Plant pathogens are still controlled through application of agrochemicals, causing human disease and impacting environmental and food security. Biological control provides a safe alternative for the control of fungal plant pathogens, because of the ability of biocontrol agents to establish in the ecosystem. Some Trichoderma spp. are considered potential agents in the control of fungal plant diseases. They can interact directly with roots, increasing plant growth, resistance to diseases, and tolerance to abiotic stress. Furthermore, Trichoderma can directly kill fungal plant pathogens by antibiosis, as well as via mycoparasitism strategies. In this review, we will discuss the interactions between Trichoderma/fungal pathogens/plants during the pre-harvest of crops. In addition, we will highlight how these interactions can influence crop production and food security. Finally, we will describe the future of crop production using antimicrobial peptides, plants carrying pathogen-derived resistance, and plantibodies.     

Exploring the biocontrol potential of fungal endophytes from an Andean Colombian Paramo ecosystem

We studied the diversity and biocontrol potential of 100 fungal endophytes isolated from Espeletia spp., endemic plant species from the Paramo in the Andean mountain range. Our sample was genotypically highly diverse at all ITS similarity levels. The antagonistic properties of these isolates were tested against common crop pathogens in Colombia, including Pectobacterium carotovorum, Ralstonia solanacearum, Pseudomonas syringae, Xanthomonas campestris, Rhizoctonia solani, Botrytis cinerea, Fusarium oxysporum, and Phytophthora infestans. All endophytic isolates were able to significantly inhibit the growth of at least one of the plant pathogens tested (P?<?0.05). Three main types of endophyte/pathogen interactions were observed. However, only those endophytes that produced an evident inhibition halo were further studied using their crude extracts to confirm that the inhibitory effect was due to the production of endophytic bioactive metabolites. From these experiments, nine promising isolates were selected for co-inoculation tests with R. solani in tomato plants. The isolates identified as Aureobasidium pullulans and Paraconiothyrium sporulosum not only protected the plants against this pathogen but also allowed them to exhibit similar growth and development as the uninoculated control. This work explores new alternatives for disease management without the application of chemical pesticides.     

Isolation and Characterization of Antagonistic Bacillus Strains Capable to Degrade Ethylenethiourea

In this study, more than 150 bacteria showing antagonistic properties against bacterial and fungal pathogens of the tomato plant were isolated and characterized. The most efficient agents against these phytopathogenic microorganisms belong to the genus Bacillus: the best biocontrol isolates were representatives of Bacillus subtilis, B. mojavensis and B. amyloliquefaciens species. They intensively produced fengycin or/and surfactin depsipeptide antibiotics and also proved to be excellent protease secretors. It was proved, that the selected strains were able to use ethylenethiourea (ETU) as sole nitrogen source. These antagonistic and ETU-degrading Bacillus strains can be applied as biocontrol and also as bioremediation agents.