scholarly journals Genomic and Physiological Characterization of Bacilli Isolated From Salt-Pans With Plant Growth Promoting Features

2021 ◽  
Vol 12 ◽  
Author(s):  
Claudia Petrillo ◽  
Stefany Castaldi ◽  
Mariamichela Lanzilli ◽  
Matteo Selci ◽  
Angelina Cordone ◽  
...  

Massive application of chemical fertilizers and pesticides has been the main strategy used to cope with the rising crop demands in the last decades. The indiscriminate use of chemicals while providing a temporary solution to food demand has led to a decrease in crop productivity and an increase in the environmental impact of modern agriculture. A sustainable alternative to the use of agrochemicals is the use of microorganisms naturally capable of enhancing plant growth and protecting crops from pests known as Plant-Growth-Promoting Bacteria (PGPB). Aim of the present study was to isolate and characterize PGPB from salt-pans sand samples with activities associated to plant fitness increase. To survive high salinity, salt-tolerant microbes produce a broad range of compounds with heterogeneous biological activities that are potentially beneficial for plant growth. A total of 20 halophilic spore-forming bacteria have been screened in vitro for phyto-beneficial traits and compared with other two members of Bacillus genus recently isolated from the rhizosphere of the same collection site and characterized as potential biocontrol agents. Whole-genome analysis on seven selected strains confirmed the presence of numerous gene clusters with PGP and biocontrol functions and of novel secondary-metabolite biosynthetic genes, which could exert beneficial impacts on plant growth and protection. The predicted biocontrol potential was confirmed in dual culture assays against several phytopathogenic fungi and bacteria. Interestingly, the presence of predicted gene clusters with known biocontrol functions in some of the isolates was not predictive of the in vitro results, supporting the need of combining laboratory assays and genome mining in PGPB identification for future applications.

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Claudia Petrillo ◽  
Stefany Castaldi ◽  
Mariamichela Lanzilli ◽  
Matteo Selci ◽  
Angelina Cordone ◽  
...  

Massive application of chemical fertilizers and pesticides has been the main strategy used to cope with the rising crop demands in the last decades. The indiscriminate use of chemicals while providing a temporary solution has led to a decrease in crop productivity and an increase in the environmental impact of modern agriculture. A sustainable alternative to the use of chemicals for crop production is the use of microorganisms naturally capable of enhancing plant growth and protecting crops from pests, known as Plant-Growth-Promoting Bacteria (PGPB). The aim of the present study was to isolate and characterize PGPB from salt-pans sand samples able to ameliorate plant fitness. To survive high salinity, salt-tolerant microbes produce a broad range of compounds with heterogeneous biological activities that are potentially beneficial for plant growth. We have isolated and screened in vitro a total of 20 halophilic spore-forming bacteria for phyto-beneficial traits and compared the results with two rhizosphere Bacilli recently isolated from the rhizosphere of the same collection site and recently characterized as potential biocontrol agents. Whole-genome analysis on five selected halophilic strains confirmed the presence of numerous gene clusters with PGP and biocontrol functions and of novel secondary-metabolite biosynthetic genes potentially involved in plant growth promotion and protection. The predicted biocontrol potential was confirmed in dual culture assays against several phytopathogenic fungi and bacteria. Interestingly, the absence of predicted gene clusters with known biocontrol functions in some of the isolates was not predictive of the in vivo results, supporting the need of combining laboratory assays and genome mining in PGPB identification for future applications.


Plants ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 10 (11) ◽  
pp. 2436
Author(s):  
Marika Pellegrini ◽  
Claudia Ercole ◽  
Carmelo Gianchino ◽  
Matteo Bernardi ◽  
Loretta Pace ◽  
...  

Industrial hemp (Cannabis sativa L.) is a multipurpose plant used in several fields. Several phytopathogens attack hemp crops. Fusarium oxysporum is a common fungal pathogen that causes wilt disease in nurseries and in field cultivation and causes high losses. In the present study, a pathogenic strain belonging to F. oxysporum f. sp. cannabis was isolated from a plant showing Fusarium wilt. After isolation, identification was conducted based on morphological and molecular characterizations and pathogenicity tests. Selected plant growth-promoting bacteria with interesting biocontrol properties—Azospirillum brasilense, Gluconacetobacter diazotrophicus, Herbaspirillum seropedicae and Burkholderia ambifaria—were tested against this pathogen. In vitro antagonistic activity was determined by the dual culture method. Effective strains (in vitro inhibition > of 50%) G. diazotrophicus, H. seropedicae and B. ambifaria were combined in a consortium and screened for in planta antagonistic activity in pre-emergence (before germination) and post-emergence (after germination). The consortium counteracted Fusarium infection both in pre-emergence and post-emergence. Our preliminary results show that the selected consortium could be further investigated as an effective biocontrol agent for the management of this pathogen.


Author(s):  
Lynda Kelvin Asogwa ◽  
Frank C. Ogbo

Aims: To isolate Plant Growth Promoting Bacillus strain from maize roots, to evaluate its biocontrol potentials and to characterize the isolate using16S rRNA sequencing. Place and Duration of Study: Department of Applied Microbiology and Brewing, Nnamdi Azikiwe University, Awka, between February 2019 and March 2020. Methodology: The isolation of Plant Growth Promoting Rhizobacteria (PGPR) from maize roots was done using Pikovskaya (PVK) agar. Quantitative determination of phosphate was carried out using PVK broth. Evaluations of other plant growth promoting properties were carried out such as IAA, etc. Fusarium and Enterobacter plant pathogens were isolated from diseased maize plants. The in vitro antagonism effects of the PGPR isolates against the pathogens were analyzed using the dual culture plate technique. The pot experiment was carried out in a completely randomized design. Plant characteristics such as plant height, shoot  and root weight, chlorophyll content, as well as disease assessment were recorded accordingly. The organisms were identified using phenotypic and molecular methods. Results: Seven PGPR bacteria were isolated from maize (Zea mays) roots using PVK agar. Aneurinibacillus migulanus gave the highest solubilization index of 4.21 while isolate IS48 gave the lowest solubilization index of 1.47. A. migulanus produced IAA, ammonia and cellulase enzyme but no hydrogen cyanide. The organism showed antagonism activity against the two tested phytopathogens. In the pot experiment, A. migulanus treated plants showed a statistically insignificant difference in maize plant height at P=0.05 but gave significant increases in shoot and root wet weights. The organism offered 83.33% and 71.43% protection against Enterobacter and Fusarium pathogens respectively in the pot experiment. Conclusion: A. migulanus solubilized phosphate in addition to other plant growth promoting  properties. It showed biocontrol potentials both in vitro and in vivo and thus can be used as substitute for synthetic agrochemicals.


2021 ◽  
Vol 12 ◽  
Author(s):  
Hu Zhou ◽  
Zuo-hua Ren ◽  
Xue Zu ◽  
Xi-yue Yu ◽  
Hua-jun Zhu ◽  
...  

Bacillus cereus YN917, obtained from a rice leaf with remarkable antifungal activity against Magnaporthe oryzae, was reported in our previous study. The present study deciphered the possible biocontrol properties. YN917 strain exhibits multiple plant growth-promoting and disease prevention traits, including production of indole-3-acetic acid (IAA), ACC deaminase, siderophores, protease, amylase, cellulase, and β-1,3-glucanase, and harboring mineral phosphate decomposition activity. The effects of the strain YN917 on growth promotion and disease prevention were further evaluated under detached leaf and greenhouse conditions. The results revealed that B. cereus YN917 can promote seed germination and seedling plant growth. The growth status of rice plants was measured from the aspects of rice plumule, radicle lengths, plant height, stem width, root lengths, fresh weights, dry weights, and root activity when YN917 was used as inoculants. YN917 significantly reduced rice blast severity under detached leaf and greenhouse conditions. Genome analysis revealed the presence of gene clusters for biosynthesis of plant promotion and antifungal compounds, such as IAA, tryptophan, siderophores, and phenazine. In summary, YN917 can not only be used as biocontrol agents to minimize the use of chemical substances in rice blast control, but also can be developed as bio-fertilizers to promote the rice plant growth.


2020 ◽  
Vol 2020 ◽  
pp. 1-8
Author(s):  
Mariana S. Santos ◽  
Artur B. L. Rondina ◽  
Marco A. Nogueira ◽  
Mariangela Hungria

Seed treatment with chemical pesticides is commonly used as an initial plant protection procedure against pests and diseases. However, the use of such chemicals may impair the survival and performance of beneficial microorganisms introduced via inoculants, such as the plant growth-promoting bacterium Azospirillum brasilense. We assessed the compatibility between the most common pesticide used in Brazil for the treatment of maize seeds, composed of two fungicides, and one insecticide, with the commercial strains Ab-V5 and Ab-V6 of A. brasilense, and evaluated the impacts on initial plant development. The toxicity of the pesticide to A. brasilense was confirmed, with an increase in cell mortality after only 24 hours of exposure in vitro. Seed germination and seedling growth were not affected neither by the A. brasilense nor by the pesticide. However, under greenhouse conditions, the pesticide affected root volume and dry weight and root-hair incidence, but the toxicity was alleviated by the inoculation with A. brasilense for the root volume and root-hair incidence parameters. In maize seeds inoculated with A. brasilense, the pesticide negatively affected the number of branches, root-hair incidence, and root-hair length. Therefore, new inoculant formulations with cell protectors and the development of compatible pesticides should be searched to guarantee the benefits of inoculation with plant growth-promoting bacteria.


2021 ◽  
pp. 100209
Author(s):  
Mariluza Silva Leite ◽  
Tainara Eler Furtado Pinto ◽  
Agda Rabelo Centofante ◽  
Aurélio Rubio Neto ◽  
Fabiano Guimarães Silva ◽  
...  

2021 ◽  
Vol 9 (4) ◽  
pp. 682
Author(s):  
Mohamad Syazwan Ngalimat ◽  
Erneeza Mohd Hata ◽  
Dzarifah Zulperi ◽  
Siti Izera Ismail ◽  
Mohd Razi Ismail ◽  
...  

As a major food crop, rice (Oryza sativa) is produced and consumed by nearly 90% of the population in Asia with less than 9% produced outside Asia. Hence, reports on large scale grain losses were alarming and resulted in a heightened awareness on the importance of rice plants’ health and increased interest against phytopathogens in rice. To serve this interest, this review will provide a summary on bacterial rice pathogens, which can potentially be controlled by plant growth-promoting bacteria (PGPB). Additionally, this review highlights PGPB-mediated functional traits, including biocontrol of bacterial rice pathogens and enhancement of rice plant’s growth. Currently, a plethora of recent studies address the use of PGPB to combat bacterial rice pathogens in an attempt to replace existing methods of chemical fertilizers and pesticides that often lead to environmental pollutions. As a tool to combat bacterial rice pathogens, PGPB presented itself as a promising alternative in improving rice plants’ health and simultaneously controlling bacterial rice pathogens in vitro and in the field/greenhouse studies. PGPB, such as Bacillus, Pseudomonas, Enterobacter, Streptomyces, are now very well-known. Applications of PGPB as bioformulations are found to be effective in improving rice productivity and provide an eco-friendly alternative to agroecosystems.


Agriculture ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (12) ◽  
pp. 1273
Author(s):  
Sajid Iqbal ◽  
Nimat Ullah ◽  
Hussnain Ahmed Janjua

Recently, crop management has involved excessive use of chemical fertilizers and pesticides, compromising public health and environmental integrity. Rhizobacteria, which can enhance plant growth and protect plants from phytopathogen, are eco-friendly and have been attracting increasing attention. In the current study, Bacillus subtilis RS10 isolated from the rhizosphere region of Cynodon dactylon, inhibited the growth of indicator strains and exhibited in vitro plant growth-promoting traits. A whole-genome analysis identified numerous biosynthetic gene clusters encoding antibacterial and antifungal metabolites including bacillibactin, bogorol A, fengycin, bacteriocin, type III polyketides (PKs), and bacilysin. The plant growth-promoting conferring genes involved in nitrogen metabolism, phosphate solubilization, hydrogen sulfide, phytohormones, siderophore biosynthesis, chemotaxis and motility, plant root colonization, lytic enzymes, and biofilm formation were determined. Furthermore, genes associated with abiotic stresses such as high salinity and osmotic stress were identified. A comparative genome analysis indicated open pan-genome and the strain was identified as a novel sequence type (ST-176). In addition, several horizontal gene transfer events were found which putatively play a vital role in the evolution and new functionalities of a strain. In conclusion, the current study demonstrates the potential of RS10 antagonism against important pathogens and plant growth promotion, highlighting its application in sustainable agriculture.


PLoS ONE ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 16 (3) ◽  
pp. e0248274
Author(s):  
Iliana Julieta Cortese ◽  
María Lorena Castrillo ◽  
Andrea Liliana Onetto ◽  
Gustavo Ángel Bich ◽  
Pedro Darío Zapata ◽  
...  

Plant growth-promoting bacteria (PGPB) are a heterogeneous group of bacteria that can exert beneficial effects on plant growth directly or indirectly by different mechanisms. PGPB-based inoculant formulation has been used to replace chemical fertilizers and pesticides. In our previous studies, two endophytic endospore-forming bacteria identified as Bacillus altitudinis were isolated from roots of Ilex paraguariensis St. Hil. seedlings and selected for their plant growth-promoting (PGP) properties shown in vitro and in vivo. The purposes of this work were to assemble the genomes of B. altitudinis 19RS3 and T5S-T4, using different assemblers available for Windows and Linux and to select the best assembly for each strain. Both genomes were also automatically annotated to detect PGP genes and compare sequences with other genomes reported. Library construction and draft genome sequencing were performed by Macrogen services. Raw reads were filtered using the Trimmomatic tool. Genomes were assembled using SPAdes, ABySS, Velvet, and SOAPdenovo2 assemblers for Linux, and Geneious and CLC Genomics Workbench assemblers for Windows. Assembly evaluation was done by the QUAST tool. The parameters evaluated were the number of contigs ≥ 500 bp and ≥ 1000 bp, the length of the longest contig, and the N50 value. For genome annotation PROKKA, RAST, and KAAS tools were used. The best assembly for both genomes was obtained using Velvet. The B. altitudinis 19RS3 genome was assembled into 15 contigs with an N50 value of 1,943,801 bp. The B. altitudinis T5S-T4 genome was assembled into 24 contigs with an N50 of 344,151 bp. Both genomes comprise several genes related to PGP mechanisms, such as those for nitrogen fixation, iron metabolism, phosphate metabolism, and auxin biosynthesis. The results obtained offer the basis for a better understanding of B. altitudinis 19RS3 and T5S-T4 and make them promissory for bioinoculant development.


2021 ◽  
Vol 6 (2) ◽  
pp. 255-263
Author(s):  
Indah Juwita Sari ◽  
Indria Wahyuni ◽  
Rida Oktorida Khastini ◽  
Ewi Awaliyati ◽  
Andriana Susilowati ◽  
...  

Plant Growth Promoting Bacteria Rhizobacteria (PGPR) is one of the potential bacteria to enhance of Capsicum annuum through inhabitation the growth of pathogenic fungi. This study aimed to characterize PGPR in chili plants (Capsicum annuum). PGPR was isolated from the soil habitat of the red chili plant in Cilegon, Indonesia. Screening was then carried out with the dual culture method on Petri dishes and tested through in vivo method on the red chili plant. The selected bacteria were characterized morphologically, biochemically, and physiologically. The results revealed that there were 14 single isolates of bacteria from the roots of the red chili plants. The five single bacterial isolates, namely Azostobacter, Azospirillum, Pseudomonas, Serratia, and Beijerinckia have good potential as PGPR based on multiple culture screening by producing clear zones and positively effect the growth of chili plants.


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