Search results for "biocontrol agent"
showing 7 items of 7 documents
Biological control of potato soft rot caused by Dickeya solani and the survival of bacterial antagonists under cold storage conditions
2018
Dickeya and Pectobacterium are responsible for causing blackleg of plants and soft rot of tubers in storage and in the field, giving rise to losses in seed potato production. In an attempt to improve potato health, biocontrol activity of known and putative antagonists was screened using in vitro and in planta assays, followed by analysis of their persistence at various storage temperatures. Most antagonists had low survival on potato tuber surfaces at 4 °C. The population dynamics of the best low‐temperature tolerant strain and also the most efficient antagonist, Serratia plymuthica A30, along with Dickeya solani as target pathogen, was studied with TaqMan real‐time PCR throughout the stora…
Effect of mass rearing on the genetic diversity of the predatory mite Amblyseius swirskii
2019
Amblyseius swirskii Athias-Henriot (Acari: Phytoseiidae) is a predatory mite used to control whiteflies and thrips in protected crops. This biocontrol agent, originating from the Eastern Mediterranean region, has been mass-reared for commercial use since 2005 and is widely used in augmentative biocontrol programs. As a polyphagous predator, it has to cope with different biotic and abiotic factors. However, possible adaptation to mass rearing for production might be hindering its resilience and capacity for optimum performance in the field. In this study, we investigated the effect of long-term mass rearing on the genetic diversity of A. swirskii. We identified six microsatellite loci from w…
Draft genome sequence of Pseudomonas corrugata, a phytopathogenic bacterium with potential industrial applications
2014
Pseudomonas corrugata was first described as the causal agent of a tomato disease called 'pith necrosis' yet it is considered as a biological resource in various fields such as biocontrol of plant diseases and production of industrially promising microbial biopolymers (mcl-PHA). Here we report the first draft genome sequence of this species. © 2014 Elsevier B.V.
Antifungal Activity of Biocontrol Agents In Vitro and Potential Application to Reduce Mycotoxins (Aflatoxin B1 and Ochratoxin A)
2021
Food bio-preservatives are requested as substituents of chemical pesticides in food. The aim of this study was to carry out a screening of twenty biocontrol agents (BCAs) for their potential fungicidal activity in vitro. Twenty BCAs were tested against ten pathogenic fungi. Some of the cell-free supernatants (CFS) tested showed in vitro antifungal activity versus pathogenic fungi. The highest fungicidal activity was observed in the fermented CFS of Paenibacillus chibensis CECT 375, Bacillus amyloliquefaciens CECT 493, and Pantoea agglomerans CECT 850, which showed a minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) and minimum fungicidal concentration (MFC) values of 125 and 250 g/L, respectively. The…
Molecular tools to monitor a biocontrol agent and to assess its environmental impacts
2008
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…
Antagonism and Antimicrobial Capacity of Epiphytic and Endophytic Bacteria against the Phytopathogen Xylella fastidiosa
2022
Olive quick decline syndrome (OQDS), which is caused by Xylella fastidiosa, poses a severe threat to the agriculture of Mediterranean countries and causes severe damage to the olive trees in Italy. Since no effective control measures are currently available, the objective of this study was the screening of antagonistic bacteria that are potentially deployable as biocontrol agents against X. fastidiosa. Therefore, two approaches were used, i.e., the evaluation of the antagonistic activity of (i) endophytic bacteria isolated from two different cultivars of olive trees (Leccino and Ogliarola salentina) and (ii) epiphytic bacteria isolated from the phyllospheres of different host plant species …
Efficacy of microbial consortia and natural compounds as seed treatment for tomato pathogen management
2022
In this study the efficacy of experimental treatments based on microbial consortia (MC) (beneficial rhizobacteria and fungi, actinomycetes, arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi) and natural compounds (NCs) (chitosan and glucosinolates) as seed treatments for tomato bacterial and fungal pathogens management (Xanthomonas euvesicatoria pv. perforans, Xep; Pseudomonas syringae pv. tomato, Psto; Fusarium oxysporum f. sp. radicis-lycopersici, FORL) was evaluated. Independent trials were performed by using organic tomato seeds ‘San Marzano nano’. Treatments were performed by soaking seeds either in aqueous MC suspensions or NC dilutions. The direct effect on the seed inoculum was performed on seeds inocul…