Evaluation of the Effects of Biological Preparations on Phytopathogenic Fungi Didymella applanata and Botrytis cinerea

Fungicidal and fungistatic effects of biological preparations involving bacteria of the genera Pseudomonas and Bacillusand fungi of the genusChaetomium on phytopathogenic fungi Didymella applanata and Botrytis cinereawere evaluated. All the biological preparations under study inhibited the growth of colonies of the fungi; however, the degree of the inhibition depended on the nature of each particular microorganism and the concentration of each particular preparation. A preparation containing Bacillus subtilis at a concentration of 0.2% effected maximum suppression ofB. cinerea (the diameter of the colonies decreased sevenfold). Preparations containing bacteria of the genus Pseudomonas and fungi of the genus Chaetomium were most efficient in suppressing D. applanata.Preparations containingB. subtilis and Chaetomium spp. showed promise as agents against simultaneous development of spur blight and Botrytis blight.     

The symbiosis of Bacillus subtilis L-forms with Chinese cabbage seedlings inhibits conidial germination of Botrytis cinerea

AIMS: To establish whether germination of Botrytis cinerea was affected by the symbiosis of Bacillus subtilis L-form bacteria with Chinese cabbage. METHODS AND RESULTS: Germinating seeds of Chinese cabbage were co-cultivated with either L-forms of Bacillus subtilis or 5% (w/v) mannitol by soaking for 3 h. Seeds were then washed in sterile water, sown on a minimal medium and incubated in controlled conditions. L-form symbiosis was detected over a time course by ELISA. Conidial germination of Botrytis cinerea was significantly reduced on cotyledonous leaves of L-form-treated plants compared with controls. CONCLUSIONS: Symbiosis of B. subtilis L-form bacteria during seed germination of Chinese cabbage inhibits conidial germination in plants on subsequent exposure to Botrytis cinerea. SIGNIFICANCE AND IMPACT OF THE STUDY: This is the first account of plant symbiosis with L-form bacteria showing antagonism to a fungal plant pathogen. This has promising implications for the use of this L-form as a biocontrol agent.     

Antibacterial and antifungal activity of cicerfuran and related 2-arylbenzofurans and stilbenes

Cicerfuran, 2-(2-methoxy-4,5-methylenedioxyphenyl)-6-hydroxybenzofuran, is an antifungal phytoalexin previously isolated from the roots of chickpea, Cicer spp. The synthesis of cicerfuran, five 2-arylbenzofuran analogues and nine stilbene intermediates was reported recently. The antimicrobial activities of these compounds were evaluated against two species of bacteria, Bacillus subtilis and Pseudomonas syringae, and four species of filamentous fungi, Aspergillus niger, Botrytis cinerea, Cladosporium herbarum and Monilinia aucupariae. Stilbenes with a free hydroxyl group were active against both bacteria and fungi with MICs in the range 25-100microg/ml. Cicerfuran was the only 2-arylbenzofuran that showed antimicrobial activity with MICs as low as 25microg/ml. Some aspects of the structure-activity relationship are discussed.     

Biocontrol agents of Botrytis cinerea tested in climate chambers by making artificial infection on tomato leafs

To reduce the use of chemical agents, that are causing damage to the environment, in the fight against Botrytis cinerea, different BCA's were tested for their possibility to control Botrytis cinerea in a biological way. In order to investigate the effectiveness of the different micro organisms and Elot-Vis, experiments were carried out in climate chambers with 5 weeks old tomato plants. Leafs on the plant were inoculated with drops of a suspension that contained spores of Botrytis cinerea. The possible antagonists that were tested in these experiments were Trichoderma harzianum (Trichodex), T. asperellum (Biofungus), T. hamatum (T382), Bacillus subtilis (Serenade and Phytovit) and Pseudomonas aeruginosa (7NSK2 and KMPCH). For all these different micro organisms the direct and the indirect influence on Botrytis cinerea was investigated. In tests where the direct influence of the antagonists was examined, the spores of the moulds or the bacteria were suspended together with spores of Botrytis cinerea and subsequently drops of this suspension were pippeted on the leafs. After a while by ideal circumstances for Botrytis cinerea the infections on the inoculated leafs were counted. For the indirect influence of the antagonists, also leafs of 5 weeks old tomato plants were inoculated with a suspension of Botrytis cinerea spores. The roots of the tomato plants that were used for testing the indirect influence were treated during there growth with a suspension of the antagonist to see if induced systemic resistance pathway (ISR) was activated. For testing the effectiveness of Elot-Vis, tomato plants were sprayed a few times with a solution of this product during their growth. Results of the climate chamber test of the plants that were treated with Elot-Vis, showed a reduction of Botrytis cinerea infections on the inoculated leafs. Biological control agents seem to be not always very effective against Botrytis cinerea. The biological control agents that are containing micro organisms are also depending on the circumstances of the environment for an optimal development. These conditions are not always that optimal to compete with Botrytis cinerea or other micro organisms that are present on the plant.     

Bacillus isolates from the spermosphere of peas and dwarf French beans with antifungal activity against Botrytis cinerea and Pythium species

A range of isolation procedures including washing, sonication and incubation in nutrient broth were used separately and in combination to obtain potential bacterial antagonists to Botrytis cinerea and Pythium mamillatum from the testae and cotyledons of peas and dwarf French beans. Heat treatment was also used to bias this selection towards spore-forming bacteria. Ninety-two bacterial isolates were obtained, 72 of which were provisionally characterized as species of Bacillus . Four of these Bacillus isolates (B3, C1, D4 and J7) displayed distinct antagonism in vitro against Botrytis cinerea and P. mamillatum when screened using dual culture analysis. Further characterization of these antagonists using API 50CHB biochemical profiling identified isolate D4 as Bacillus polymyxa and isolates B3, C1 and J7 as strains of B. subtilis . In vitro screening techniques, using cell-free and heat-killed extracts of liquid cultures against Botrytis cinerea , demonstrated the production of antifungal compounds by these four Bacillus antagonists. With each isolate the antifungal activity was found not to be either exclusively spore-bound nor released entirely into the medium but present in both fractions. The antifungal compounds produced by these isolates were shown to be heat-stable. Their identification, production and release require further study for exploitation as biocontrol systems.     

生防工程菌株BS-17A稳定性与抑菌活性初步研究

目的:BS-17是内生细菌,对番茄灰霉病菌、叶霉病菌和枯萎病菌具有显著抑菌活性,为了跟踪研究野生型菌株BS-17在番茄根围和叶围的定殖情况,构建了1株带有黄绿荧光蛋白基因标记的生防菌株BS-17A.方法:采用NYD连续培养的方法和平皿抑菌试验的方法对工程菌株的遗传稳定性和抑菌活性进行了初步研究.结果:该工程菌在无选择压力培养基中连续培养50h,质粒遗传稳定性为94%,对番茄灰霉病菌Botrytis cinerea、叶霉病菌Cladosporiumfulvum和枯萎病菌Fusarium oxysporum的抑制作用与野生菌无显著差异,平皿抑菌率分别为85.5%、86.5%和89.8%.结论:该工程菌具有较强的遗传稳定性和抑菌活性.     

枯草芽孢杆菌对几种灰霉病菌的抑制效果研究

分别研究了枯草芽孢杆菌(BacillussubtilisCohn)培养液、过滤液和灭活液对葡萄灰霉病菌(GB)、草莓灰霉病菌(SB)、辣椒灰霉病菌(PB)和番茄灰霉病菌(TB)菌丝生长的抑制作用。结果表明:枯草芽孢杆菌培养液对GB、SB、PB和TB都有很好的抑制作用。在菌液浓度达到10 5CFU/mL时,对4种灰霉病菌的抑制率均达到了10 0 % ;当浓度降低为10 4CFU/mL时,抑制率明显降抵。而菌液浓度为10 8CFU/mL时的过滤液,对GB、PB和TB的抑制率也均在5 0 %以上。灭活液对灰霉菌的抑制作用明显减弱,菌液浓度为10 8CFU/mL时,对PB、GB、TB和SB的抑制率分别为73.6 %、39.5 %、5 0 %和2 5 %。     

Antagonistic effect of Erwinia herbicola on in vitro spore germination and germ tube elongation of Botrytis cinerea and Penicillium expansum

Interaction between Erwinia herbicola and Botrytis cinerea and Penicillium expansum was studied in liquid culture. The results show that the bacteria directly inhibited spore germination of both fungi, especially during the first hours of the paired cultivation. The distinct taxis of bacteria to spores and germ tubes was frequently followed by their lysis. It is likely that bacteria act also by competition for nutrients. The rate of antagonistic activity of the bacteria against both fungi depended on their concentration in the mixture. Formation of chlamydospore-like structures at the apical end of B. cinerea germ tube suggests induction of a defence mechanism of this fungus while in unfavourable conditions.     

核桃青皮乙醇提取物抑菌活性研究

以34种植物病原真菌和5种细菌为供试菌,采用离体试验方法对核桃青皮乙醇提取物及其萃取相进行抑菌效果研究.结果表明:核桃青皮乙醇提取物对供试病原真菌均有一定的抑制活性;在浓度为40 mg·mL~(-1)时,乙酸乙酯萃取相抑菌效果最好,对番茄灰霉、棉花立枯和小麦纹枯3种病原真菌的抑制率均为100%,对枯草芽孢杆菌和金黄色葡萄球菌的抑菌圈直径达12.07 mm和12.54 mm;不同浓度乙酸乙酯萃取相对相同病原菌的抑制效果差异显著,对番茄灰霉、棉花立枯、苹果炭疽、小麦纹枯和小麦赤霉5种病原菌的EC_(50)分别为:7.263 4、6.219 1、9.069 5、5.591 2和10.310 2 mg·mL~(-1).     

枯草芽孢杆菌BS2对葡萄灰霉病菌抑菌机制的初步探索

对葡萄灰霉病菌的生防枯草芽孢杆菌BS2菌液成分及胞外蛋白的抑菌机制进行了初步研究,BS2对葡萄灰霉病菌具有较好的拮抗作用,其菌液成分和胞外蛋白经20°C-120°C处理后,抑菌效果存在差异。BS2的菌液成分及胞外蛋白对灰霉病菌的产孢、萌发和菌丝的生长等方面均具有较好的抑制作用,且对灰霉病菌菌丝的原生质有囊泡和颗粒化现象。由此分析,BS2抑菌活性物质是多种成分共同作用的结果,抑菌物质中含有对温度敏感的高分子蛋白质,且抑菌机制也是从多方面共同起作用。     

Fungal ABC transporters and microbial interactions in natural environments

In natural environments, microorganisms are exposed to a wide variety of antibiotic compounds produced by competing organisms. Target organisms have evolved various mechanisms of natural resistance to these metabolites. In this study, the role of ATP-binding cassette (ABC) transporters in interactions between the plant-pathogenic fungus Botrytis cinerea and antibiotic-producing Pseudomonas bacteria was investigated in detail. We discovered that 2,4-diacetylphloroglucinol, phenazine-1-carboxylic acid and phenazine-1-carboxamide (PCN), broad-spectrum antibiotics produced by Pseudomonas spp., induced expression of several ABC transporter genes in B. cinerea. Phenazines strongly induced expression of BcatrB, and deltaBcatrB mutants were significantly more sensitive to these antibiotics than their parental strain. Treatment of B. cinerea germlings with PCN strongly affected the accumulation of [14C]fludioxonil, a phenylpyrrole fungicide known to be transported by BcatrB, indicating that phenazines also are transported by BcatrB. Pseudomonas strains producing phenazines displayed a stronger antagonistic activity in vitro toward ABcatrB mutants than to the parental B. cinerea strain. On tomato leaves, phenazine-producing Pseudomonas strains were significantly more effective in reducing gray mold symptoms incited by a ABcatrB mutant than by the parental strain. We conclude that the ABC transporter BcatrB provides protection to B. cinerea in phenazine-mediated interactions with Pseudomonas spp. Collectively, these results indicate that fungal ABC transporters can play an important role in antibiotic-mediated interactions between bacteria and fungi in plant-associated environments. The implications of these findings for the implementation and sustainability of crop protection by antagonistic microorganisms are discussed.     

Screening of antimicrobial activity of diarylamines in the 2,3,5-trimethylbenzo[b]thiophene series: a structure-activity evaluation study

Gram positive (Bacillus cereus, B. subtilis), Gram negative (Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Escherichia coli) bacteria, and Candida albicans as a representative of fungi were used for screening the in vitro antimicrobial activity of diarylamines in the 2,3,5-trimethylbenzo[b]thiophene series bearing different substituents, synthesized by us using the palladium-catalyzed C-N coupling methodology. The minimal inhibitory concentration (MIC) and structure-activity relationships (SARs) were evaluated.     

Role of lipopeptides produced by Bacillus subtilis GA1 in the reduction of grey mould disease caused by Botrytis cinerea on apple

AIM: Test of Bacillus subtilis strain GA1 for its potential to control grey mould disease of apple caused by Botrytis cinerea. METHODS AND RESULTS: GA1 was first tested for its ability to antagonize in vitro the growth of a wide variety of plant pathogenic fungi responsible for diseases of economical importance. The potential of strain GA1 to reduce post-harvest infection caused by B. cinerea was tested on apples by treating artificially wounded fruits with endospore suspensions. Strain GA1 was very effective at reducing disease incidence during the first 5 days following pathogen inoculation and a 80% protection level was maintained over the next 10 days. Treatment of fruits with an extract of GA1 culture supernatant also exerted a strong preventive effect on the development of grey mould. Further analysis of this extract revealed that strain GA1 produces a wide variety of antifungal lipopeptide isomers from the iturin, fengycin and surfactin families. A strong evidence for the involvement of such compounds in disease reduction arose from the recovery of fengycins from protected fruit sites colonized by bacterial cells. CONCLUSIONS: The results presented here demonstrate that, despite unfavourable pH, B. subtilis endospores inoculated on apple pulp can readily germinate allowing significant cell populations to establish and efficient in vivo synthesis of lipopeptides which could be related to grey mould reduction. SIGNIFICANCE AND IMPACT OF THE STUDY: This work enables for the first time to correlate the strong protective effect of a particular B. subtilis strain against grey mould with in situ production of fengycins in infected sites of apple fruits.     

Mycoparasitism of Acremonium strictum BCP on Botrytis cinerea, the gray mold pathogen

A fungal strain BCP, which parasitizes Botrytis cinerea gray mold pathogen, was isolated and identified as Acremonium strictum. BCP strain overgrew the colonies of B. cinerea and caused severe lysis of the host hyphae. Frequent penetration and hyphal growth of A. strictum BCP inside the mycelia of B. cinerea were observed under light microscopy. In addition, some morphological abnormalities such as granulation and vacuolation of the cytoplasm were observed in mycelia and spores of B. cinerea. In dual culture test, A. strictum BCP strongly inhibited the mycelial growth of several plant pathogenic fungi as well as B. cinerea. To our knowledge, this is the first report on mycoparasitism of Acremonium species on B. cinerea.     

贪婪倔海绵中抗菌活性细菌的筛选及初步鉴定

采用平板涂布法从我国南海三亚周边海域贪婪倔海绵（Dysidea avara）中分离海绵共附生细菌,采用金黄色葡萄球菌、大肠埃希氏菌、荧光假单胞菌、枯草芽孢杆菌、白假丝酵母、宛氏拟青霉、黑曲霉7种指标菌进行抑菌试验筛选抗菌活性菌,同时对于得到的活性菌进行生理生化鉴定。共分离获得个149个细菌菌株,发现20株具有抑制真菌和革兰氏阳性细菌的活性,占细菌总数的13．4％。经过细菌形态观察和生理生化试验,发现此20株活性菌属于革兰氏阳性芽孢杆菌属（Bacillus sp．）。     

Antimicrobial activity of methyl cis-7-oxo deisopropyldehydroabietate on Botrytis cinerea and Lophodermium seditiosum: ultrastructural observations by transmission electron microscopy

AIMS: To study the antifungal activity of methyl cis-7-oxo-deisopropyldehydroabietate (MCOD) against phytopathogenic fungi, Botrytis cinerea and Lophodermium seditiousm. The effect of the compound was studied by transmission electron microscopy (TEM) and the composition of sterols on both treated and untreated cultures was determined. METHODS AND RESULTS: MCOD was tested at concentrations in the range 0.003-0.5% by the agar plate dilution method. The radial growth of the colonies treated with MCOD was measured against colonies from untreated cultures. The radial growth of colonies of both fungi and the spore germination of B. cinerea were partially or completely inhibited. Fragments of active growing colonies treated and untreated with MCOD were submitted to the conventional procedure for ultrastructural observation by TEM. Observations by TEM on colonies of B. cinerea and L. seditiosum under 0.1% MCOD revealed several autophagic-like vacuoles, morphological alterations on lomasome and lipid accumulations in the apical zone of hyphae of both fungi. Observations on spore germination of B. cinerea revealed the presence of strongly stained lipid accumulations retained by vacuoles at the cell periphery of young hyphae. The sterol composition of B. cinerea and L. seditiosum was determined on MCOD treated and untreated cultures by gas-chromatography/mass-spectrometry (GC-MS) with molecular ions and fragmentation patterns characteristics of ergosterol (M+396) and dihydroergosterol (M+398) in both fungi. CONCLUSIONS: The morphological alterations are consistent with an unspecific mode of action of MCOD causing inhibition of normal growth or damaging the fungi cells. TEM observations suggest a mechanism of resistance based on the retention of MCOD by the lipid accumulation. SIGNIFICANCE AND IMPACT OF THE STUDY: The results obtained in the present work afforded a better understanding of the mode of action of a resin acid derivative on phytopathogenic fungi. The inhibition growth of both fungi by MCOD demonstrates the antifungal activity of this compound and the interest on further in vivo studies, in order to evaluate its potential as a benign alternative to conventional fungicides.     

Antimicrobial activity of Wedelia trilobata crude extracts.

A biological screening of activity against Gram-positive and Gram-negative bacteria, yeasts, and fungi of crude extracts from Wedelia trilobata is reported. The n-hexane extract showed antibacterial activity against Bacillus subtilis, Mycobacterium smegmatis, Staphylococcus aureus, and Staphylococcus epidermidis (Gram-positive bacteria); along with Proteus vulgaris, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Salmonella group C, Salmonella paratyphi, and Shigella sonnei (Gram-negative bacteria). The ethyl acetate extract was active only against Salmonella group C; and the aqueous extract was inactive against the tested bacteria. None of the tested extracts showed biological activity against the yeasts (Candida albicans, Candida tropicalis, Rhodotorula rubra) or the fungi (Aspergillus flavus, Aspergillus niger, Mucor sp., Trichophyton rubrum).     

辣椒根腐病拮抗细菌的筛选及其生物学特性研究

以辣椒根腐病原菌(Fusarium solani)为指示菌,从贵州辣椒根际筛选到5株具有明显拮抗效果的细菌,编号分别为:SC2、SC2-4、SC2-4-1、SC2-4-2、SC2-4X.上述菌株抗菌谱较广,对黄瓜枯萎病原菌(Fusarium oxysporum f.sp.cucumerinum)、黄瓜霜霉病原菌(Pseudoperonospora cubensis)、芹菜灰霉病原菌(Botrytis cinerea Pers)以及西红柿灰霉病原菌(Botrytis cinerea)也具有良好的拮抗性能.经形态学测定、生理生化分析和16S rDNA序列分析,将SC2、SC2-4-2、SC--4X鉴定为多粘类芽孢杆菌(Paenibacillus polymyxa),SC2-4、SC2-4-1鉴定为枯草芽孢杆菌(Bacillus subtilis).SC2菌株产生的抗菌物质可能为蛋白类或抗菌肽类物质.     

Pseudomonas corrugata: plant pathogen and/or biological resource?

Pseudomonas corrugata is the causal agent of tomato pith necrosis yet it is also used in the biological control of plant pathogenic bacteria and fungi. Potentially it could be used in other fields, such as the production of commercial biomolecules with a wide range of application and including bioremediation. This review reports the multiple characteristics of the bacterium, highlights its known molecular features and speculates on the possible underlying mechanisms of action.
Taxonomy:  Bacteria; Proteobacteria ; γ subdivision; order Pseudomonadales ; family Pseudomonadaceae ; genus Pseudomonas .
Microbiological properties:  Gram-negative, oxidase-positive, non-spore forming rods; non-fluorescent on King's B medium; produces wrinkled and rarely smooth colonies on yeast peptone glucose agar or nutrient dextrose agar; yellow to brown diffusible pigments are frequently produced.
Disease symptoms:  The typical symptom on tomato is necrosis and/or hollowing of the pith of the stem; the syndrome determines loss of turgidity of the plant, hydropic/necrotic areas and long conspicuous adventitious roots on the stem.
Biological control agent: In vitro assessed against plant pathogenic fungi and bacteria, as well as the phytotoxin indicator microorganims Rhodotorula pilimanae and Bacillus megaterium ; in vivo used against pre- and post-harvest plant pathogens.     

Biological control of grey mould in strawberry fruits by halophilic bacteria

Aims:  Grey mould caused by Botrytis cinerea is an economically important disease of strawberries in Tunisia and worldwide. The aim of this study was to select effective halophilic bacteria from hypersaline ecosystems and evaluate the abilities of antifungal bacteria to secrete extracellular hydrolytic enzymes, anti- Botrytis metabolites and volatiles.
Methods and Results:  Grey mould was reduced in strawberry fruits treated with halophilic antagonists and artificially inoculated with B. cinerea . Thirty strains (20·2%) were active against the pathogen and reduced the percentage of fruits infected after 3 days of storage at 20°C, from 50% to 91·66%. The antagonists were characterized by phenotypic tests and 16S rDNA sequencing. They were identified as belonging to one of the species: Virgibacillus marismortui , B. subtilis , B. pumilus , B. licheniformis , Terribacillus halophilus , Halomonas elongata , Planococcus rifietoensis , Staphylococcus equorum and Staphylococcus sp. The effective isolates were tested for antifungal secondary metabolites.
Conclusions:  Moderately halophilic bacteria may be useful in biological control against this pathogen during postharvest storage of strawberries.
Significance and Impact of the study:  The use of such bacteria may constitute an important alternative to synthetic fungicides. These moderate halophiles can be exploited in commercial production and application of the effective strains under storage and greenhouse conditions.