Plant-growth-promoting traits and antifungal potential of the Bacillus amyloliquefaciens YL-25

Abstract

Biological control of plant soil-borne diseases has been shown as an attractive and an environment friendly alternative to chemical fungicides. Different microbial strains have been reported effective in controlling plant pathogens. Among those, Bacillus strains have their own importance. Bacillus amyloliquefaciens strain YL-25, isolated from the rhizosphere of healthy banana plant, was evaluated as bio-organic fertiliser (BIO) for its ability to promote plant growth and suppress Fusarium wilt of banana in pot experiment. The results showed that the application of the BIO containing strain YL-25 significantly promoted the growth of banana plants and decreased the incidence of Fusarium wilt compared to the organic fertiliser and chemical fertiliser (CF). In order to explore the beneficial mechanisms of strain YL-25, experiments were conducted in vitro. The phytohormones including indole-3-acetic acid and gibberellin A3 and stable antifungal compounds three homologous of iturin A were identified in the culture broth of strain YL-25. The strain YL-25 also showed the ability to degrade extracellular phytate in plate experiment. Owing to its innate multiple functional traits and biocontrol activity, the strain YL-25 may be used as plant-growth-promoting rhizobacterium and biocontrol agent against Fusarium wilt of banana.