Abstract
Citrus is among the most important plants in the fruit industry severely infected with pathogens. Citrus green mold caused by Penicillium digitatum is one of the most devastating diseases during post-harvest stages of citrus fruit. In this study, a potential endophyte Bacillus subtilis L1-21, isolated from healthy citrus plants, was assessed for its biocontrol activity against the pathogen P. digitatum. Based on an in vitro crosstalk assay, we suggested that B. subtilis L1-21 inhibits the pathogen with an inhibition zone of 3.51 ± 0.08 cm. Biocontrol efficacy was highest for the fermented culture filtrate of B. subtilis L1-21. Additionally, using GC-MS analysis, 13 compounds were detected in the extract of this endophyte. The culture filtrate in Landy medium could enlarge and deform pathogen spores and prevent them from developing into normal mycelium. Accordingly, the Landy culture filtrate of B. subtilis L1-21 was stable in the temperature range of 4–90 °C and pH of 3–11. Further, MALDI-TOF-MS for B. subtilis L1-21 detected surfactin, fengycin, bacillaene and bacilysin as potential antifungal compounds. GFP-tagged B. subtilis L1-21 easily colonized in citrus fruit peel and pulp, suggesting its role in eliminating the fungal pathogen. Altogether, it is highly expected that the production of antifungal compounds, and the colonization potential of B. subtilis L1-21 are required against the post-harvest P. digitatum pathogen on citrus fruit.
Highlights
IntroductionCitrus is among the most important plants in the fruit industry severely infected with pathogens
State Key Laboratory for Conservation and Utilization of Bio-Resources in Yunnan, Yunnan Key Laboratory for Fungal Diversity and Green Development, Kunming Institute of Botany, Faculty of Agronomy and Biotechnology, Yunnan Agricultural University, Kunming 650201, China
Our results suggested that compared with pathogen control (Figure 10E), treatment with B. subtilis L1-21 helped the successful colonization on the pathogen spores (Figure 10F)
Summary
Citrus is among the most important plants in the fruit industry severely infected with pathogens. A potential endophyte Bacillus subtilis L1-21, isolated from healthy citrus plants, was assessed for its biocontrol activity against the pathogen. GFP-tagged B. subtilis L1-21 colonized in citrus fruit peel and pulp, suggesting its role in eliminating the fungal pathogen. It is highly expected that the production of antifungal compounds, and the colonization potential of B. subtilis L1-21 are required against the post-harvest P. digitatum pathogen on citrus fruit. Citrus fruit is infected with various pathogens during postharvest storage and transportation, resulting in decay and deterioration, and economic losses, leading to adverse effects on the development of the citrus industry [3,4]
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