Potential of a novel endophytic Bacillus velezensis in tomato growth promotion and protection against Verticillium wilt disease

Publication date: Available online 3 September 2019Source: Biological ControlAuthor(s): Hanen Dhouib, Imen Zouari, Dorra Ben Abdallah, Lassaad Belbahri, Wafa Taktak, Mohamed Ali Triki, Slim TounsiAbstractVascular wilts are one of the major threats to the growth and the productivity of crop plants. Repeated use of chemical fungicides to manage vascular wilt diseases are raising concerns. Other strategies including biocontrol using endophytic bacteria have been considered. To investigate the role of endophytic bacteria on verticillium wilt, a novel bacterium C2, isolated from the crown tissue of tomato, was evaluated, in vitro and in vivo, against tomato wilt disease caused by Verticillium dahliae. C2 was identified by 16S rRNA gene sequencing as Bacillus velezensis. This strain exhibited, in vitro, significant antifungal activity against V. dahliae. This strain harbored genes involved in synthesis of lipopeptides (bacillomycin, fengycin and surfactin), polyketides (macrolactin, bacillaene and difficidin) and the dipeptide bacilysin. Moreover, GC-MS analysis of C2 showed the presence of volatile metabolites known by their antifungal activity, namely tetradecane, benzeneacetic acid, benzaldehyde, 1-decene and phenylethyl alcohol. Furthermore, the strain was able to produce lytic enzymes (protease, chitinase and β-gluacanase), siderophore and indole-3-acetic acid and to solubilize inorganic phosphate. Result of in vivo experiments indicated that the application of C2 at 107 CFU/...
Source: Biological Control - Category: Biology Source Type: research