Articles
GRAM-POSITIVE BACTERIA PRODUCING ANTIMICROBIAL PEPTIDES AS EFFICIENT BIOCONTROL AGENTS OF FIRE BLIGHT
Article number
1056_16
Pages
117 – 122
Language
English
Abstract
Currently available biocontrol agents (BCA) of fire blight are strains of Gram negative (Pseudomonas fluorescens, Pantoea agglomerans, Pantoea vagans) or Gram positive (Bacillus subtilis/amyloliquefaciens) bacteria.
Many of the efficient strains produce antimicrobial peptides (AMPs) like cyclolipopeptides (cLPs) including surfactins, iturins, and fengycins, or pseudopeptides (e.g., pantocins). In several cases AMPs have been implicated in the mechanism of action of fire blight biological control.
The availability of complete genomes of several BCA strains has facilitated the design of PCR tools targeted to several AMP genes; these tools have been used for molecular marker assisted screening of a large collection of Gram positive bacteria (mainly Bacillus spp. and Lactobacillus spp.) isolated from plant environments in the Mediterranean area.
Several strains of B. subtilis/ amyloliquefaciens that are multiproducers of cLPs, and strains of L. plantarum producing the bacteriocin plantaricin have been identified.
A set of these strains that also were good colonizers of plant surfaces were found to be highly effective for fire blight biocontrol in greenhouse and semi-field tests.
These strains have the additional advantage that B. subtilis/amyloliquefaciens and L. plantarum are considered as biologically safe by the EPA (USA) and EFSA (Europe). All these characteristics make them very attractive as the active ingredients of future microbial pesticides for fire blight control.
Many of the efficient strains produce antimicrobial peptides (AMPs) like cyclolipopeptides (cLPs) including surfactins, iturins, and fengycins, or pseudopeptides (e.g., pantocins). In several cases AMPs have been implicated in the mechanism of action of fire blight biological control.
The availability of complete genomes of several BCA strains has facilitated the design of PCR tools targeted to several AMP genes; these tools have been used for molecular marker assisted screening of a large collection of Gram positive bacteria (mainly Bacillus spp. and Lactobacillus spp.) isolated from plant environments in the Mediterranean area.
Several strains of B. subtilis/ amyloliquefaciens that are multiproducers of cLPs, and strains of L. plantarum producing the bacteriocin plantaricin have been identified.
A set of these strains that also were good colonizers of plant surfaces were found to be highly effective for fire blight biocontrol in greenhouse and semi-field tests.
These strains have the additional advantage that B. subtilis/amyloliquefaciens and L. plantarum are considered as biologically safe by the EPA (USA) and EFSA (Europe). All these characteristics make them very attractive as the active ingredients of future microbial pesticides for fire blight control.
Publication
Authors
A. Bonaterra, J. Cabrefiga, I. Mora, G. Roselló, J. Francés , E. Montesinos
Keywords
Erwinia amylovora, Bacillus spp., lactic acid bacteria (LAB)
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