Edible Astraeus (Basidiomycota) from Thailand

Two edible species of Astraeus are widely collected for consumption and offered for sale in markets throughout Thailand. A. hygrometricus (Pers.) Morg. and A. thailandicus Petcharat are described herein, of which A. thailandicus Petcharat is further designated as a new species.     

Evaluation of <Emphasis Type="Italic">Streptomyces</Emphasis> spp. for biological control of <Emphasis Type="Italic">Sclerotium</Emphasis> root and stem rot and <Emphasis Type="Italic">Ralstonia</Emphasis> wilt of chili pepper

The objective of this study was to screen Streptomyces spp. for biological control of root and stem rot (Sclerotium rolfsii) and bacterial wilt (Ralstonia solanacearum), the very destructive diseases of chili pepper in Thailand. About 265 isolates of Streptomyces spp. were tested for their inhibitory effects on S. rolfsii mycelial growth on dual culture plates. Then, 14 promising isolates were further tested for their effects on R. solanacearum growth. Three effective isolates further identified as S. mycarofaciens SS-2-243, S.philanthi RL-1-178 and S. philanthi RM-1-138 were selected and proved to produce both antifungal and antibacterial substances in the culture medium. S. philanthi RM-1-138 strongly inhibited seed germination and seedling growth of chili pepper in laboratory tests. Therefore, it was not used in the following studies. When tested in greenhouse conditions, the efficacy of S. philanthi RL-1-178 in suppressing Sclerotium root and stem rot of chili pepper was approximately equal to that of Trichoderma harzianum NR-1-52 or that of carboxin treatment. S. mycarofaciens SS-2-243 and S. philanthi RL-1-178 suppressed Ralstonia wilt of chili pepper in a way that was similar to streptomycin sulfate treatment and it was observed that T. harzianum NR-1-52 had no effect on the bacterial wilt. Under field conditions where the soil was inoculated with two pathogens, the results showed that S. philanthi RL-1-178 could protect the chili pepper plants from S. rolfsii and R. solanacearum infection better than S. mycarofaciens SS-2-243 or T. harzianum NR-1-52. S. philanthi RL-1-178 treatment resulted in 58.75% survival of chili pepper plants and its efficacy was not significantly different from the carboxin-and-streptomycin sulfate treatment.     

Diversity of the culturable lichen-derived actinobacteria and the taxonomy of Streptomyces parmotrematis sp. nov.

A total of 37 actinobacteria were isolated from eighteen lichen samples collected in Thailand. Based on the 16S rRNA gene sequences, they were identified into five genera including Actinoplanes (1 strain), Actinomadura (1 strain), Pseudosporangium (1 strain), Wangella (1 strain) and Streptomyces (33 strains). Among these isolates, strain Ptm05^T, Ptm01 and Ptm12 showed low 16S rRNA gene similarity and was selected for the further taxonomic study using the polyphasic approach. These strains showed the highest 16S rRNA gene sequence similarity with Streptomyces sparsogenes ATCC 25498^T (97.44–97.72%). Strain Ptm05^T was selected for the type strain. The chemical cell composition of the strain was similar to the members of Streptomyces genus. LL-diaminopimelic acids were detected in the peptidoglycan. Menaquinones were MK-9(H₈) and MK-9(H₆). Phosphatidylethanolamine, phosphatidylglycerol, diphosphatidylglycerol, phosphatidylinositol, phosphatidylinositol mannoside, one unidentified phospholipid, one unidentified glycolipid and one unidentified lipid were detected as the polar lipids. The predominant cellular fatty acids are anteiso-C_15:0, iso-C_15:0, iso-C_16:0, iso-C_17:0 and C_16:0. The dDNA-DNA hybridization values among strain Ptm05^T and its closely related Streptomyces type strains were 17.2–18.0%. In addition, the ANIb and ANIm between strain Ptm05^T and related Streptomyces type strains were ranged from 75.69 to 76.13% and 85.21 to 85.35%, respectively. Based on phenotypic and genomic evidence, strain Ptm05^T (=?TBRC 14546^T?=?NBRC 115203^T) represents the novel species of the genus Streptomyces for which the name Streptomyces parmotrematis sp. nov. is proposed. This study showed that the lichens are the promising source of the novel actinobacterial taxa.

     

Use of Trichoderma harzianum cultured on ground mesocarp fibre of oil-palm as seed treatment to control Pythium aphanidermatum,a causal agent of damping-off of Chinese kale seedling

Trichoderma harzianum, isolate T 01-22, was cultured on either sorghum grains, ground mesocarp fibre of oil-palm or oil-palm shell, both amended with urea fertilizer (100:1, w/w). T. harzianum cultured on ground mesocarp fibre was then used to coat seeds of Chinese kale (Brassica alboglabra Bailey) to control damping-off of seedlings caused by Pythium aphanidermatum. Biomass of T. harzianum cultured on ground mesocarp fibre of oil-palm was more effective than Captan and Benomyl, but less effective than Metalaxyl, in controlling damping-off of Chinese kale seedlings. Viability of T. harzianum growing on sorghum grains was reduced significantly during 7 months storage, followed by that of T. harzianum cultured on ground mesocarp fibre and oil-palm shell, both amended with urea fertilizer (46-0-0) at 100:1 (w/w).