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ARS Home » Southeast Area » Byron, Georgia » Fruit and Tree Nut Research » Research » Publications at this Location » Publication #358373
Research Project: New Tools for Managing Key Pests of Pecan and Peach

Location: Fruit and Tree Nut Research

Title: Metabolites from symbiotic bacteria of entomopathogenic nematodes have antimicrobial effects against Pythium myriotylum

Author
item SHAN, SHAOJIE - Nankai University
item HUANG, CUIQING - Nankai University
item ZHEN, SHIYU - Nankai University
item MA, HAIKUN - Netherlands Institute Of Ecology
item GU, XIN-HUI - Non ARS Employee
item JIANG, ZHENSHENG - Non ARS Employee
item SUN, BINGNIAO - Nankai University
item CHEN, CHAO-YING - Nankai University
item Shapiro Ilan, David
item RUAN, WEIBIN - Nankai University

Submitted to: European Journal of Plant Pathology
Publication Type: Peer Reviewed Journal
Publication Acceptance Date: 6/25/2020
Publication Date: 9/1/2020
Citation: Shan, S., Huang, C., Zhen, S., Ma, H., Gu, X., Jiang, Z., Sun, B., Chen, C., Shapiro Ilan, D.I., Ruan, W. 2020. Metabolites from symbiotic bacteria of entomopathogenic nematodes have antimicrobial effects against Pythium myriotylum. European Journal of Plant Pathology. 158/35-44. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10658-020-02053-2.
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10658-020-02053-2

Interpretive Summary: A number of fungi attack the roots of plants. Many important crops are affected by these fungal diseases. One of the important fungal diseases is called Pythium myriotylum. The use of chemical fungicides to control fungal diseases can cause harm to the environment and resistance build-up. Therefore, research to find environmentally friendly methods to control harmful fungi such as Pythium myriotylum is warranted. In this study we tested a variety of natural products produced by bacteria for their ability to control the fungal disease. These bacteria occur naturally and are symbionts of beneficial nematodes (small round worms). We found that several of the bacterial products are strong suppressing agents to the fungus and therefore have potential to be developed as natural fungicides.

Technical Abstract: Pythium myriotylum is a destructive soil-borne pathogen, which causes severe yield losses in crops. It is necessary to find biological control method to control P. myriotylum. In the present experiment, the fermentation broth of entomopathogenic symbiotic bacteria (EPB) from eight species of entomopathogenic nematodes [Steinernema carpocapsae (Cxrd strain), Heterorhabditis bacteriophora (VS strain), S. carpocapsae (All strain), H. bacteriophora (HB1 strain), S. feltiae (SN strain), S. rarum (17 C&E strain), H. indica (HOM1 strain), S. riobrave (7-12 strain)] and trans-Cinnamic acid (TCA) were tested for their effects on fungal growth and spore germination of P. myriotylum. Results showed that all fermentation broths could inhibit the fungal growth and spore germination, especially the symbiotic bacteria from S. feltiae (SN strain). Antifungal effects were proportional to the concentration of entomopathogenic nematode bacteria fermentation broth. TCA inhibited fungal growth but not spore germination. This research provides new options for biological control of P. myriotylum, and will facilitate the sustainable production of ginger and other crops affected by this fungal disease.