Biofilm of Aureobasidium pullulans var. pullulans on winter wheat kernels and its effect on other microorganisms

Abstract

Winter wheat, grown under greenhouse conditions, was protected four times with a cell suspension of Aureobasidium pullulans var. pullulans during the growing season. After harvest, the distribution and survival rates of the studied biocontrol agent were analyzed under a scanning electron microscope. The abundance of filamentous fungi, yeasts, pseudomonads and Azotobacter bacteria was determined by inoculation onto selective agar media. A. pullulans produced mostly unicellular chlamydospores on the surface and in the brush of kernels. Multicellular blastospore conglomerates secreted extracellular polymeric substances (EPS), and their biofilms were found in the brush and crease of kernels. The application of a cell suspension of A. pullulans with the density of 104 CFU to winter wheat spikes, repeated four times, inhibited the growth of pseudomonads, Azotobacter bacteria and filamentous fungi.