Shiyong Tan

Production and characterization of acidophilic xylanolytic enzymes from Penicillium oxalicum GZ-2.

Multiple acidophilic xylanolytic enzymes were produced by Penicillium oxalicum GZ-2 during growth on wheat straw, rice straw, corn stover, and wheat bran. The expression of xylanase isoforms was dependent on substrate type and nitrogen source. The zymograms produced by the SDS-PAGE resolution of the crude enzymes indicated that wheat straw was the best inducer, resulting in the highest xylanase (115.2U/mL) and β-xylosidase (89mU/mL) activities during submerged fermentation. The optimum temperature and pH for xylanase activity were 50°C and 4.0, respectively; however, the crude xylanase enzymes exhibited remarkable stability over a broad pH range and showed more than 90% activity at 50°C for 30min at pH 4.0-8.0. The results revealed that P. oxalicum GZ-2 is a promising acidophilic xylanase-producing microorganism that has great potential to be used in biofuels, animal feed, and food industry applications.

Antagonistic bacterium Bacillus amyloliquefaciens induces resistance and controls the bacterial wilt of tomato

BACKGROUND Bacterial wilt caused by Ralstonia solanacearum (RS) is a serious threat for agricultural production. In this study, Bacillus amyloliquefaciens strains CM-2 and T-5 antagonistic to RS were used to create bioorganic fertilisers to control tomato wilt under greenhouse conditions. The possible mechanism of resistance inducement by the antagonistic bacteria was also evaluated. RESULTS The application of bioorganic fertilisers significantly reduced incidences of tomato wilt (by 63-74%), promoted plant growth and significantly reduced the RS populations in rhizosphere compared with the control. Both strains CM-2 and T-5 applied with bioorganic fertilisers survived well in the tomato rhizosphere. Tomato seedlings treated with cell suspension of T-5 followed by challenge inoculation with RS increased the activities of polyphenol oxidase, phenylalanine ammonia lyase and peroxidase compared with the untreated control. Furthermore, the expressions of the marker genes responsible for synthesis of phytohormones salicylic acid, ethylene and jasmonic acid in seedlings treated with T-5 in response to inoculated pathogen were significantly higher. CONCLUSIONS This study suggests that strains CM-2 and T-5 containing bioorganic fertilisers effectively control tomato wilt. Increased enzyme activities and expression of defence genes in plants indicated that the antagonistic bacteria induced plant resistance, which was the potential biocontrol mechanism of tomato wilt.

Bacillus amyloliquefaciens T-5 may prevent Ralstonia solanacearum infection through competitive exclusion

Investigation of the properties and mechanisms of the interactions of root-colonizing biocontrol bacteria and plant pathogens is necessary to optimize the biocontrol strategies. In the present study, the interaction of a biocontrol strain Bacillus amyloliquefaciens T-5 tagged with a green fluorescent protein marker and a bacterial wilt pathogen Ralstonia solanacearum QL-Rs1115 tagged with red fluorescent protein marker was studied on tomato roots using different inoculation methods. The results showed that in the co-culture experiment, the population of pathogen QL-RFP was decreased by increasing the initial inoculum concentration of biocontrol strain. In the greenhouse experiment, both strains T-5-GFP and QL-RFP colonized tomato roots (root tips, root hairs, primary roots, and root junctions) and formed a biofilm on the root surfaces as determined by dilution plating and confocal laser scanning microscopy (CLSM) techniques. However, the root colonization of pathogen strain QL-RFP was almost completely suppressed in the presence of biocontrol strain T-5-GFP when both soil and plant seedlings were treated with T-5-GFP. The results of this study revealed the effectiveness of strain B. amyloliquefaciens T-5 as a biocontrol agent against tomato wilt pathogen and the significance of inoculation method used to inoculate biocontrol strain.

Suppression of Bacterial Wilt of Tomato by Bioorganic Fertilizer Made from the Antibacterial Compound Producing Strain Bacillus amyloliquefaciens HR62

Ralstonia solanacearum (Smith) is an important soil-borne pathogen worldwide. We investigated the effects of a new bioorganic fertilizer, BIO62, which was made from organic fertilizer and antagonist Bacillus amyloliquefaciens HR62, on the control of bacterial wilt of tomato in greenhouse condition. The results showed that the application of BIO62 significantly decreased disease incidence by 65% and strongly reduced R. solanacearum populations both in the rhizosphere soil (8.04 log cfu g(-1) dry soil) and crown sections (5.63 log cfu g(-1) fresh plant section) at 28 days after pathogen challenge. Antibacterial compounds produced by HR62 were purified by silica gel, Sephadex LH-20, and HPLC and then identified using HPLC/electrospray ionization mass spectrometry analysis. Macrolactin A and 7-O-malonyl macrolactin A (molecular weights of 402 and 488 Da, respectively), along with surfactin B (molecular weights of 994, 1008, 1022, and 1036 Da), were observed to inhibit the growth of R. solanacearum.