Fengge Zhang

Solid-state fermentation of agro-industrial wastes to produce bioorganic fertilizer for the biocontrol of Fusarium wilt of cucumber in continuously cropped soil.

Agro-industrial wastes of cattle dung, vinegar-production residue and rice straw were solid-state fermented by inoculation with Trichoderma harzianum SQR-T037 (SQR-T037) for production of bioorganic fertilizers containing SQR-T037 and 6-pentyl-α-pyrone (6PAP) to control Fusarium wilt of cucumber in a continuously cropped soil. Fermentation days, temperature, inoculum and vinegar-production residue demonstrated significant effects on the SQR-T037 biomass and the yield of 6PAP, based on fractional factorial design. Three optimum conditions for producing the maximum SQR-T037 biomass and 6PAP yield were predicted by central composite design and validated. Bioorganic fertilizer containing 8.46 log(10) ITS copies g(-1) dry weight of SQR-T037 and 1291.73 mg kg(-1) dry weight of 6PAP, and having the highest (p<0.05) biocontrol efficacy, was achieved at 36.7 fermentation days, 25.9°C temperature, 7.6% inoculum content, 41.0% vinegar-production residue, 20.0% rice straw and 39.0% cattle dung. This is a way to offer a high value-added use for agro-industrial wastes.

Application of Trichoderma harzianum SQR-T037 bio-organic fertiliser significantly controls Fusarium wilt and affects the microbial communities of continuously cropped soil of cucumber

BACKGROUND The reduction in diversity of the soil microbial community causes the disorder of continuous cropping. The aim of this study was to determine the effects of applying Trichoderma harzianum SQR-T037 bio-organic fertiliser (BIO) on the microbial community in continuously cropped cucumber soil. Four treatments were set: (1) control, where neither seedling nursery soil (N) nor transplanted soil (T) was amended with BIO; (2) N treatment, where nursery soil was amended with BIO (1% w/w) but transplanted soil was not; (3) N + T treatment, where BIO was added to both nursery soil (1% w/w) and transplanted soil (0.5% w/w); (4) uncropped soil, where soil was left uncropped consistently. RESULTS A disease index of 72.2% was found for the control treatment, while the N and N + T treatments had disease indices of only 25 and 15% respectively. Analysis of the denaturing gradient gel electrophoresis (DGGE) profiles showed that the bacterial communities of the N and N + T treatments were similar to those of the uncropped soil but distinct from those of the control soil. The fungal communities of the N and N + T treatments differed from those of both the uncropped soil and the control. CONCLUSION Addition of BIO to both the nursery soil and the transplanted soil can diversify the microbial community in continuously cropped cucumber soil and thus effectively control Fusarium wilt of cucumber plants.

Recovery of several cell pellet-associated antibiotics produced by Bacillus amyloliquefaciens NJN-6.

In this study, six antibiotics which are antagonistic to phytopathogens were extracted from the water‐washed cell pellets of Bacillus amyloliquefaciens NJN‐6. They were purified by HPLC and identified using electrospray ionization mass spectroscopy (ESI‐MS). Besides three iturin A homologous and macrolactin A, two other kinds of antibiotics were extracted from the cell pellets of B. amyloliquefaciens NJN‐6. An antifungal compound with the molecular mass of 1072 Da was identified as bacillomycin D, and the antibacterial compound with the molecular mass of 400 Da was identified as macrolactin E. We also quantified iturin A in both cell pellets and culture media, and the concentrations were 751·12 mg kg−1 and 21·02 mg l−1, respectively. These results show that in addition to the culture medium, the cell pellets could also be a potential resource for antibiotics and the strain B. amyloliquefaciens NJN‐6 might be an attractive source for antibiotic production and an antagonist for plant diseases.

Bacillus amyloliquefaciens Strain W19 can Promote Growth and Yield and Suppress Fusarium Wilt in Banana Under Greenhouse and Field Conditions

Abstract Plant growth-promoting rhizobacteria (PGPR) are considered to be the most promising agents for cash crop production via increasing crop yields and decreasing disease occurrence. The Bacillus amyloliquefaciens strain W19 can produce secondary metabolites (iturin and bacillomycin D) effectively against Fusarium oxysporum f. sp. cubense (FOC). In this study, the ability of a bio-organic fertilizer (BIO) containing strain W19 to promote plant growth and suppress the Fusarium wilt of banana was evaluated in both pot and field experiments. The results showed that application of BIO significantly promoted the growth and fruit yield of banana while suppressing the banana Fusarium wilt disease. To further determine the beneficial mechanisms of the strain, the colonization of green fluorescent protein-tagged strain W19 on banana roots was observed using confocal laser scanning microscopy and scanning electron microscopy. The effect of banana root exudates on the formation of biofilm of strain W19 indicated that the banana root exudates may enhance colonization. In addition, the strain W19 was able to produce indole-3-acetic acid (IAA), a plant growth-promoting hormone. The results of these experiments revealed that the application of strain W19-enriched BIO improved the banana root colonization of strain W19 and growth of banana and suppressed the Fusarium wilt. The PGPR strain W19 can be a useful biocontrol agent for the production of banana under field conditions.

Isolation and Identification of an Algae-lysing Bacterium and Its Algicidal Effect

Water blooms caused by Microcystis aeruginosa broke out frequently all over the world,which caused serious environmental problems.In this study,an algae-lysing bacterium CA with a strong algicidal effect to M.aeruginosa was isolated from the Taihu Lake,China.Then CA was identified as Aquimonas sp.by morphological features,physiological and biochemical characteristics,as well as phylogenetic analysis of 16S rDNA sequences.The degradation rate of CA against M.aeruginosa cells and chlorophyll a were 100% and 83.9% within ten days,respectively.Algicidal effect of CA was positively correlated with the concentration of bacterial suspensions,while negatively correlated with algal concentration.The bacterial cell of CA had no algicidal effect,but their sterile filtrate could lyse M.aeruginosa significantly,indicating that CA lyse M.aeruginosa by an indirect way of excreting algae-lysing substance.The CA cell displayed algicidal effect when adding a small amount of beef extract,glucose or urea to liquid culture.These results indicated that strain CA had potential for controlling the bloom-forming cyanobacteria in freshwater ecosystems.

Hydrolytic Amino Acids Employed as a Novel Organic Nitrogen Source for the Preparation of PGPF-Containing Bio-Organic Fertilizer for Plant Growth Promotion and Characterization of Substance Transformation during BOF Production.

Opportunity costs seriously limit the large-scale production of bio-organic fertilizers (BOFs) both in China and internationally. This study addresses the utilization of amino acids resulting from the acidic hydrolysis of pig corpses as organic nitrogen sources to increase the density of TrichodermaharzianumT-E5 (a typical plant growth-promoting fungi, PGPF). This results in a novel, economical, highly efficient and environmentally friendly BOF product. Fluorescence excitation-emission matrix (EEM) spectroscopy combined with fluorescence regional integration (FRI) was employed to monitor compost maturity levels, while pot experiments were utilized to test the effects of this novel BOF on plant growth. An optimization experiment, based on response surface methodologies (RSMs), showed that a maximum T-E5 population (3.72 × 108 ITS copies g−1) was obtained from a mixture of 65.17% cattle manure compost (W/W), 19.33% maggot manure (W/W), 15.50% (V/W)hydrolytic amino acid solution and 4.69% (V/W) inoculum at 28.7°C after a 14 day secondary solid fermentation. Spectroscopy analysis revealed that the compost transformation process involved the degradation of protein-like substances and the formation of fulvic-like and humic-like substances. FRI parameters (PI, n, PII, n, PIII, n and PV, n) were used to characterize the degree of compost maturity. The BOF resulted in significantly higher increased chlorophyll content, shoot length, and shoot and root dry weights of three vegetables (cucumber, tomato and pepper) by 9.9%~22.4%, 22.9%~58.5%, 31.0%~84.9%, and 24.2%~34.1%, respectively. In summary, this study presents an operational means of increasing PGPF T-E5 populations in BOF to promote plant growth with a concomitant reduction in production cost. In addition, a BOF compost maturity assessment using fluorescence EEM spectroscopy and FRI ensured its safe field application.

Trichoderma Biofertilizer Links to Altered Soil Chemistry, Altered Microbial Communities, and Improved Grassland Biomass

In grasslands, forage and livestock production results in soil nutrient deficits as grasslands typically receive no nutrient inputs, leading to a loss of grassland biomass. The application of mature compost has been shown to effectively increase grassland nutrient availability. However, research on fertilization regime influence and potential microbial ecological regulation mechanisms are rarely conducted in grassland soil. We conducted a two-year experiment in meadow steppe grasslands, focusing on above- and belowground consequences of organic or Trichoderma biofertilizer applications and potential soil microbial ecological mechanisms underlying soil chemistry and microbial community responses. Grassland biomass significantly (p = 0.019) increased following amendment with 9,000 kg ha−1 of Trichoderma biofertilizer (composted cattle manure + inoculum) compared with other assessed organic or biofertilizer rates, except for BOF3000 (fertilized with 3,000 kg ha−1 biofertilizer). This rate of Trichoderma biofertilizer treatment increased soil antifungal compounds that may suppress pathogenic fungi, potentially partially responsible for improved grassland biomass. Nonmetric multidimensional scaling (NMDS) revealed soil chemistry and fungal communities were all separated by different fertilization regime. Trichoderma biofertilizer (9,000 kg ha−1) increased relative abundances of Archaeorhizomyces and Trichoderma while decreasing Ophiosphaerella. Trichoderma can improve grassland biomass, while Ophiosphaerella has the opposite effect as it may secrete metabolites causing grass necrosis. Correlations between soil properties and microbial genera showed plant-available phosphorus may influence grassland biomass by increasing Archaeorhizomyces and Trichoderma while reducing Ophiosphaerella. According to our structural equation modeling (SEM), Trichoderma abundance was the primary contributor to aboveground grassland biomass. Our results suggest Trichoderma biofertilizer could be an important tool for management of soils and ultimately grassland plant biomass.