Controlling Soft Rot Disease of Potatoes Caused by Enterobacter cloacae sub sp. dissolvens via Virulent Bacteriophages

Abstract

Enterobacter cloaca causes bacterial soft rot disease of potatoes. Bacteriophages can be used as a biocontrol agent against pathogenic bacteria. The possibility of using lytic phage isolates to control soft rot disease of potato was studied.Isolation and identification ofdifferent virulent bacteriophages specific to Enterobacter cloacae sub sp. dissolvens was took place by using biological and molecular techniques. The efficiency of lytic phage isolates on E. cloacae sub sp. dissolvens as a biocontrol agent under greenhouse condition was evaluated.Thetwo virulent phage isolates specific to E. cloacae sub sp. dissolvens were isolated, identified and designated as EdIv-1 and EdIv-2. Mixture of the two virulent phages (EdIv-1 and EdIv-2) could be used as a bio control agent against E. cloacae sub sp. dissolvens in soil. The data indicated that the number of bacterium in the soil treated with this treatment as a cocktail of phages were considerably lower than in the soil treated with bacterium only in all the different periods and other treatments. In addition the highest percentage of decreased plants was recorded after 30 days (71%). Virulent phage isolates were found to be stable, infecting E. cloacae sub sp. dissolvens. It could be concludedthat cocktail of phages can be used as effective biological control agent against the plant pathogenunder the environmental condition in Egypt.