Dual inoculation of Fusarium oxysporum endophytes in banana: effect on plant colonization,growth and control of the root burrowing nematode and the banana weevil

The burrowing nematode (Radopholus similis (Cobb) Thorne) and the banana weevil (Cosmopolites sordidus Germar, Coleoptera: Curculionidae) are major pests of banana (Musa spp.) in the Lake Victoria basin region of Uganda. Among biological options to control the two pests is the use of non-pathogenic Fusarium oxysporum Schltdl.: Fries endophytes of banana. We investigated the ability of endophytic F. oxysporum isolates Emb2.4o and V5w2 to control the banana weevil and the burrowing nematode, alone and in combination. Plant colonization by the endophytes was determined by inoculating their chemical-resistant mutants separately and in combination, onto banana roots. Plant growth promotion was determined by measuring plant height, girth, number of live roots and fresh root weight at harvest, and control of the nematode and weevil was determined by challenging endophyte-inoculated plants with the pests 8 weeks after endophyte inoculation. Endophytic root colonization was highest in plants inoculated with both endophytes, compared with those inoculated with only one of the endophytes. Root colonization was better for isolate V5w2 than Emb2.4o. Dually inoculated plants showed a significant increase in height, girth, fresh root weight and number of functional roots following nematode challenge. Nematode numbers in roots were reduced 12 weeks after challenge of 8-week-old endophyte-inoculated plants. Significant reductions in weevil damage were observed in the rhizome periphery, inner and outer rhizomes, compared with endophyte non-inoculated controls. We conclude that dual inoculation of bananas with endophytic isolates Emb2.4o and V5w2 increases root colonization by the endophytes, reduces nematode numbers and weevil damage, and enhances plant growth in the presence of nematode infestation.     

Complete genome sequence of Halomicrobium mukohataei type strain (arg-2)

Halomicrobium mukohataei (Ihara et al. 1997) Oren et al. 2002 is the type species of the genus Halomicrobium. It is of phylogenetic interest because of its isolated location within the large euryarchaeal family Halobacteriaceae. H. mukohataei is an extreme halophile that grows essentially aerobically, but can also grow anaerobically under a change of morphology and with nitrate as electron acceptor. The strain, whose genome is described in this report, is a free-living, motile, Gram-negative euryarchaeon, originally isolated from Salinas Grandes in Jujuy, Andes highlands, Argentina. Its genome contains three genes for the 16S rRNA that differ from each other by up to 9%. Here we describe the features of this organism, together with the complete genome sequence and annotation. This is the first completed genome sequence from the poorly populated genus Halomicrobium, and the 3,332,349 bp long genome (chromosome and one plasmid) with its 3416 protein-coding and 56 RNA genes is part of the Genomic Encyclopedia of Bacteria and Archaea project.     

Complete genome sequence of Catenulispora acidiphila type strain (ID 139908)

Catenulispora acidiphila Busti et al. 2006 is the type species of the genus Catenulispora, and is of interest because of the rather isolated phylogenetic location it occupies within the scarcely explored suborder Catenulisporineae of the order Actinomycetales. C. acidiphilia is known for its acidophilic, aerobic lifestyle, but can also grow scantly under anaerobic conditions. Under regular conditions, C. acidiphilia grows in long filaments of relatively short aerial hyphae with marked septation. It is a free living, non motile, Gram-positive bacterium isolated from a forest soil sample taken from a wooded area in Gerenzano, Italy. Here we describe the features of this organism, together with the complete genome sequence and annotation. This is the first complete genome sequence of the actinobacterial family Catenulisporaceae, and the 10,467,782 bp long single replicon genome with its 9056 protein-coding and 69 RNA genes is a part of the Genomic Encyclopedia of Bacteria and Archaea project.     

Complete genome sequence of Dyadobacter fermentans type strain (NS114)

Dyadobacter fermentans (Chelius and Triplett, 2000) is the type species of the genus Dyadobacter. It is of phylogenetic interest because of its location in the Cytophagaceae, a very diverse family within the order 'Sphingobacteriales'. D. fermentans has a mainly respiratory metabolism, stains Gram-negative, is non-motile and oxidase and catalase positive. It is characterized by the production of cell filaments in aging cultures, a flexirubin-like pigment and its ability to ferment glucose, which is almost unique in the aerobically living members of this taxonomically difficult family. Here we describe the features of this organism, together with the complete genome sequence, and its annotation. This is the first complete genome sequence of the sphingobacterial genus Dyadobacter, and this 6,967,790 bp long single replicon genome with its 5804 protein-coding and 50 RNA genes is part of the Genomic Encyclopedia of Bacteria and Archaea project.     

Complete genome sequence of Kangiella koreensis type strain (SW-125)

Kangiella koreensis (Yoon et al. 2004) is the type species of the genus and is of phylogenetic interest because of the very isolated location of the genus Kangiella in the gammaproteobacterial order Oceanospirillales. K. koreensis SW-125(T) is a Gram-negative, non-motile, non-spore-forming bacterium isolated from tidal flat sediments at Daepo Beach, Yellow Sea, Korea. Here we describe the features of this organism, together with the complete genome sequence, and annotation. This is the first completed genome sequence from the genus Kangiella and only the fourth genome from the order Oceanospirillales. This 2,852,073 bp long single replicon genome with its 2647 protein-coding and 48 RNA genes is part of the Genomic Encyclopedia of Bacteria and Archaea project.     

Complete genome sequence of Brachyspira murdochii type strain (56-150)

Brachyspira murdochii Stanton et al. 1992 is a non-pathogenic, host-associated spirochete of the family Brachyspiraceae. Initially isolated from the intestinal content of a healthy swine, the 'group B spirochaetes' were first described as Serpulina murdochii. Members of the family Brachyspiraceae are of great phylogenetic interest because of the extremely isolated location of this family within the phylum 'Spirochaetes'. Here we describe the features of this organism, together with the complete genome sequence and annotation. This is the first completed genome sequence of a type strain of a member of the family Brachyspiraceae and only the second genome sequence from a member of the genus Brachyspira. The 3,241,804 bp long genome with its 2,893 protein-coding and 40 RNA genes is a part of the Genomic Encyclopedia of Bacteria and Archaea project.     

Complete genome sequence of Spirosoma linguale type strain (1)

Spirosoma linguale Migula 1894 is the type species of the genus. S. linguale is a free-living and non-pathogenic organism, known for its peculiar ringlike and horseshoe-shaped cell morphology. Here we describe the features of this organism, together with the complete genome sequence and annotation. This is only the third completed genome sequence of a member of the family Cytophagaceae. The 8,491,258 bp long genome with its eight plasmids, 7,069 protein-coding and 60 RNA genes is part of the Genomic Encyclopedia of Bacteria and Archaea project.