0000000000713868
AUTHOR
Sylvie Brenot
Ecological fitness of the biocontrol agent Fusarium oxysporum Fo47 in soil and its impact on the soil microbial communities
Some nonpathogenic strains of Fusarium oxysporum can control Fusarium diseases responsible for severe damages in many crops. Success of biological control provided by protective strains requires their establishment in the soil. The strain Fo47 has proved its efficacy under experimental conditions, but its ecological fitness has not been carefully studied. In a series of microcosm studies, the ability of a benomyl-resistant mutant Fo47b10 to establish in two different soils was demonstrated. One year after its introduction at two concentrations in the disinfected soils, the biocontrol agent (BCA) established at similar high population densities, whereas in the nondisinfected soils it survive…
Molecular tools to monitor a biocontrol agent and to assess its environmental impacts
The use of non pathogenic strains of Fusarium oxysporum has been proposed to control Fusarium diseases responsible for severe damages in many crops of economical importance. In order to monitor the biocontrol strain Fo47 after application in greenhouse and field, we have developed a specific molecular tool based on a sequence characterized amplified region (SCAR). Primers targeting a 210-bp fragment were designed to set up a real time PCR assay allowing the identification of the biocontrol strain and its quantification in environmental samples. The assay enabled specific detection of the strain in soils without cross detection of autochthonous populations of F. oxysporum. After its introduc…