P. aeruginosa strain FG106 was isolated from the rhizosphere of tomato plants and identified through morphological analysis, 16S rRNA gene sequencing, and whole-genome sequencing. In vitro and in vivo experiments demonstrated that this... more
P. aeruginosa strain FG106 was isolated from the rhizosphere of tomato plants and identified through morphological analysis, 16S rRNA gene sequencing, and whole-genome sequencing. In vitro and in vivo experiments demonstrated that this strain could control several pathogens on tomato, potato, taro, and strawberry. Volatile and non-volatile metabolites produced by the strain are known to adversely affect the tested pathogens. FG106 showed clear antagonism against Alternaria alternata, Botrytis cinerea, Clavibacter michiganensis subsp. michiganensis, Phytophthora colocasiae, P. infestans, Rhizoctonia solani, and Xanthomonas euvesicatoria pv. perforans. FG106 produced proteases and lipases while also inducing high phosphate solubilization, producing siderophores, ammonia, indole acetic acid (IAA), and hydrogen cyanide (HCN) and forming biofilms that promote plant growth and facilitate biocontrol. Genome mining approaches showed that this strain harbors genes related to biocontrol and g...
Research Interests:
Introduction: Tomato (Solanum lycopersicum) is one of the most important crops worldwide, which suffers from several destructive diseases. Rhizoctonia solani is a necrotrophic fungus which is known as the causal agent of tomato... more
Introduction: Tomato (Solanum lycopersicum) is one of the most important crops worldwide, which suffers from several destructive diseases. Rhizoctonia solani is a necrotrophic fungus which is known as the causal agent of tomato damping-off, seed rot, root and crown rot diseases. Control of this phytopathogenic fungus is very difficult due to its long-term survival in the soil, high level of genetic diversity in R. solani populations and the lake of complete resistance in plants to the pathogen. Although partial genetic resistance to Rhizoctonia diseases has been reported, no major gene responsible for resistance has been found so far. Most of the traditional cultivars, planted in tomato-growing areas, are susceptible to Rhizoctonia diseases. Therefore, an intensive use of other crop protection methods such as an application of chemicals or biological agent which are capable of activating plant defense responses seems to be necessary to suppress the disease damage in tomato fields. T...
Wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) is one of the important cereals and a major source of human food worldwide. Fusarium pseudograminearum and F. culmorum are the causal agents of important diseases on wheat, including head scab, crown and root... more
Wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) is one of the important cereals and a major source of human food worldwide. Fusarium pseudograminearum and F. culmorum are the causal agents of important diseases on wheat, including head scab, crown and root rot. Control of Fusarium diseases on wheat is very difficult and important because of not only no complete resistance in any wheat cultivar and long-term survival of the soil-borne pathogen, but also production of carcinogenic mycotoxins in wheat tissues, which are harmful for consumers. Nowadays, to avoid the ecological and environmental damage caused by chemical pesticides and fungicides, there is a great interest to use essential oils as plant-protective agents. Therefore, the aim of this study was to find an alternative to synthetic fungicides currently used in the control of these destructive wheat diseases. We investigated the antifungal activities of the essential oils obtained from 4 different plant species and the Thyme (Thymus vulgaris) es...
Research Interests:
Research Interests:
Research Interests:
Research Interests:
Research Interests:
Aim of study: Antimicrobial peptides and monoterpenes are safe compounds that have been used for control of many plant diseases. Herein, the effects of two recombinant antibacterial peptides (AMPs) were compared with two monoterpenes for... more
Aim of study: Antimicrobial peptides and monoterpenes are safe compounds that have been used for control of many plant diseases. Herein, the effects of two recombinant antibacterial peptides (AMPs) were compared with two monoterpenes for control of Erwinia amylovora directly or via induction of plant defense enzyme guaiacol peroxidase (GPOD).Area of study: The experiments were performed at the Ferdowsi University of Mashhad (Iran).Material and methods: The central composite design (CCD) method was used to study the effect of mixing the compounds and copper compound (Nordox) in controlling the pathogen. The resistance level was studied on shoots of tolerant (‘Dargazi’) and semi-susceptible (‘Spadona’) pear cultivars treated with the antibacterial compounds.Main results: Thanatin and 1,8-cineole showed the highest and lowest antibacterial effects. All treatments reduced E. amylovora pathogenicity on blossom. The CCD analysis revealed that the best reduction in colony number obtained b...
Peroxidases (POXs) and Catalases (CATs) are the main antioxidant enzymes involved in scavenging H2O2 in living cells. Different POXs and CATs may be capable of exhibiting interaction with the constituents of the plant cell. Whereas the... more
Peroxidases (POXs) and Catalases (CATs) are the main antioxidant enzymes involved in scavenging H2O2 in living cells. Different POXs and CATs may be capable of exhibiting interaction with the constituents of the plant cell. Whereas the activity or gene expression of POXs and CATs has been investigated in potato plants, their interactions with other proteins in this crop have not been investigated till now. Determining Protein-Protein Interaction (PPI) networks could be important in providing crucial insights into the regulation of plant defense responses to biotic and abiotic stresses. STRING analysis revealed interaction of cationic, suberization-associated anionic, and Class III peroxidases in potato with several enzymes involved in lignin biosynthesis and phenylpropanoid pathways, which was in accordance with close phylogenetic relationship of the three potato peroxidases investigated in this study. The CAT1 enzyme in potato interacted with several enzymes involved in ROS product...
Research Interests: Biology and Peroxidase
Research Interests:
Research Interests:
Research Interests: Biology and Jasmonic Acid
Crown and root rot of wheat, caused by Fusarium spp., limit crop yields worldwide, from rotting of seeds, seedlings, crowns, roots and basal plant stems. Virulence factors and virulence and aggressiveness of Fusarium spp. were... more
Crown and root rot of wheat, caused by Fusarium spp., limit crop yields worldwide, from rotting of seeds, seedlings, crowns, roots and basal plant stems. Virulence factors and virulence and aggressiveness of Fusarium spp. were investigated for isolates from Iran, obtained from wheat plants with crown and root rot symptoms. Forty isolates of Fusarium were used in this research. Among the isolates, nivalenol (NIV) was detected as the dominant trichothecene chemotype produced. Production of trichothecenes and zearalenone (ZEA) in autoclaved rice cultures of Fusarium isolates was analyzed using high performance liquid chromatography. The levels of NIV ranged from 258 to 1246 μg kg −1 , of deoxynivalenol (DON) from 45 to 1411 μg kg −1 , and of ZEA from 53 to 3220 μg kg −1 . All Fusarium isolates produced cellulase and pectinase enzymes. Positive correlation was observed between activity of cell wall degrading enzymes (CWDEs) produced by the isolates and their pathogenicity on wheat leaf ...
Research Interests:
Research Interests:
زڌلاث ڋټڃڌـاقڃ٨ څٹجځو ڋٱڌ قا ٻڇټ ٿڌفس ڊـبٽڍث ڊبچ رلا٤ څڀاؼ كڌـ ـؼ بڍڀؼ زوا څٰ ٗوڃس څڀڃٴ ڊبچ ڋ٩ٹشػټ قا هځخ Fusarium ڄمڌڃث څڀڃٴ Fusarium graminearum ؼبدڌا ڋټ ؼڃٌ . ٿڌا ذـب٬ څ٠ڃٽدټ ڊا قا ٿڍىسڃٱڌفس بچ قا ۇٴڍج٬ ڋىٰاؼ وٴڃځيٴاڃڍڀ ڂ وٴڃځيٴاڃڍڀ اـ... more
زڌلاث ڋټڃڌـاقڃ٨ څٹجځو ڋٱڌ قا ٻڇټ ٿڌفس ڊـبٽڍث ڊبچ رلا٤ څڀاؼ كڌـ ـؼ بڍڀؼ زوا څٰ ٗوڃس څڀڃٴ ڊبچ ڋ٩ٹشػټ قا هځخ Fusarium ڄمڌڃث څڀڃٴ Fusarium graminearum ؼبدڌا ڋټ ؼڃٌ . ٿڌا ذـب٬ څ٠ڃٽدټ ڊا قا ٿڍىسڃٱڌفس بچ قا ۇٴڍج٬ ڋىٰاؼ وٴڃځيٴاڃڍڀ ڂ وٴڃځيٴاڃڍڀ اـ ؽڍيٴڃس ڋټ ؽځٰ څٰ ڊافث ڋشټلاو پبىڀا ڂ پاـڃڀبخ فٕټ .زوا څڌاؽخ حځد ڋشىڍڀڃٴبشڀآ رافثا ًچڂمد ٿڌا ـؼ ذـب٬ ڊ Trichoderma harzianum ( BI ،
In this study, inhibitory effects of the aqueous and ethanolic leaf extracts obtained from marshmallow (A. officinalis) were evaluated against Alternaria spp., pathogenic on Citrus. The marshmallow leaf extracts were added to potato... more
In this study, inhibitory effects of the aqueous and ethanolic leaf extracts obtained from marshmallow (A. officinalis) were evaluated against Alternaria spp., pathogenic on Citrus. The marshmallow leaf extracts were added to potato dextrose agar medium at various concentrations and antifungal effect of the extracts against three species of Alternaria pathogenic on citrus was tested in vitro and in vivo. The ethanolic leaf extract revealed significant inhibitory effect on the mycelial growth of all fungal species and complete inhibition on spore germination of the pathogens at 100 mg mL−1 concentration, similar to those of the fungicide tested. Microscopic analysis revealed that the extract caused morphological changes, including abnormal hyphal morphology with a rough surface and shriveled hyphae. The HPLC analysis revealed the presence of phenolic/flavonoid compounds, including chlorogenic acid, quercetin, benzoic acid, apegenin, cinnamic acid, ferulic acid and Kaempferol. Results of enzyme activity assays revealed that the activity of cellulase, amylase, protease and pectinase reduced in the samples treated with the ethanolic extract. The ethanolic leaf extract protected Citrus sinensis (orange) fruits against the pathogens and reduced lesion diameter of Alternaria disease in a concentration dependent manner. The concentrations of 50 and 100 mg mL−1 were the most effective in reducing lesion diameters on citrus fruits campared to the control. Both in vitro and in vivo assays revealed potential of marshmallow ethanolic leaf extract to be used as a safe and eco-friendly protectant of citrus fruits against Alternaria spp. as destructive pre- and post-harvest fungal parhogens. Future research seems to be necessary to investigate antifungal effect of the major components detected in marshmallow leaf extract and determine the best formulation to increase its efficiency against phytopathogens.
Research Interests:
Research Interests:
AIMS This study aimed to identify virulence-associated genes and functions that affect disease development on pear caused by E. amylovora EaUMG3 isolated from Iran. METHODS AND RESULTS A mini-Tn5 transposon library was generated in... more
AIMS This study aimed to identify virulence-associated genes and functions that affect disease development on pear caused by E. amylovora EaUMG3 isolated from Iran. METHODS AND RESULTS A mini-Tn5 transposon library was generated in EaUMG3. An E. amylovora mutant that had lost its ability to cause lesions on immature pear fruits, was selected for further analysis. This mutant was shown to have a transposon insertion in yqhC, a gene belongs to the AraC family of transcriptional regulators. A mutant of the wild-type EaUMG3 carrying an unmarked deletion of the yqhC gene was created using pDMS197. The Ea∆yqhC mutant showed reduced disease progression on immature pear fruits and pear plants, reduced motility and significantly lower levels of the virulence factors siderophore and amylovoran. Complementation with yqhC cloned in pBBR1MCS restored disease progression and the level of virulence factors to near wild type. CONCLUSION YqhC transcriptional regulator is necessary for full virulence of E. amylovora. In addition, this regulator affects virulence factors such as siderophore production, amylovoran production, and motility. SIGNIFICANCE AND IMPACT OF STUDY The identification of a novel transcriptional regulator with strong impact in the pathogenesis of E. amylovora, an organism causing significant economic losses in fruit production.
Research Interests:
Research Interests:
Erwinia amylovora causes fire blight in plants of economic importance in Rosaceae family. In this study, 11 essential oils were screened for their antibacterial activities and capabilities to influence the growth and virulence factors by... more
Erwinia amylovora causes fire blight in plants of economic importance in Rosaceae family. In this study, 11 essential oils were screened for their antibacterial activities and capabilities to influence the growth and virulence factors by the E. amylovora, such as amylovoran production, biofilm formation, and motility at non-lethal concentrations. Essential oils from Foeniculum vulgare and Pimpinella anisum showed strong antibacterial activity, those of Artemisia aucheri and Heracleum persicum had a moderate antibacterial activity. Oils of seven other plant species did not show substantial growth inhibition but could reduce the production of virulence factors in E. amylovora at non-lethal concentrations. Determining bacteriostatic and bactericidal concentrations enabled us to gather precise data about the antibacterial characteristics. The results suggested that at non-lethal concentrations, some essential oils reduced the effect of virulence factors of E. amylovora. An inverse correlation was found between amylovoran and biofilm production when the bacterium was treated with oils of H. persicum, P. anisum, C. arabica, J. horizentalis, C. aurantifolia and V. agnus-castus. The oils with low antibacterial activity had an insignificant effect on motility at non-lethal concentrations. Generally, Apium graveolens (celery seed) and Curcuma longa (turmeric) essential oils showed the optimum reduction in the effects of virulence factors of E. amylovora. These oils led to 41.71% and 30.17% reduction in the disease progression of E. amylovora on immature pear fruit, respectively and reduced disease progression in the shoot of pear seedlings with 26.9% and 16.7%. This study indicated that essential oils individually may be applied as environmentally safe compounds for controlling the fire blight disease.
Research Interests:
Root rot, caused by Pythium aphanidermatum, is a major disease of sugar beet in warm regions with high levels of soil moisture. Use of resistant cultivars is an effective strategy to control this destructive disease. However, the... more
Root rot, caused by Pythium aphanidermatum, is a major disease of sugar beet in warm regions with high levels of soil moisture. Use of resistant cultivars is an effective strategy to control this destructive disease. However, the mechanisms involved in resistance of sugar beet to the pathogen is still unknown. In this research, 10 sugar beet lines were evaluated in greenhouse for resistance to P. aphanidermatum at 6 and 12 weeks growth stages. Our results revealed higher level of resistance in the mature plants. Also, there is no interaction between growth stages and sugar beet lines to P. aphanidermatum suggested the possibility of evaluating resistance of sugar beet genotypes to this oomycetous pathogen at earlier growth stages, which leads to save time and expenses. Activity of defense-related enzymes, including peroxidase (POX), catalase (CAT), polyphenol oxidase (PPO), and ascorbate peroxidase (APX) in the resistant (S2–24-P.107) and susceptible (SB-191) lines inoculated with the pathogen at two different growth stages viz. 6 and 12 week, was evaluated. Obtained results revealed that the activity of POX, CAT, and PPO enzymes was enhanced earlier and to the higher extent in the resistant compared to the susceptible line at both growth stages. The activity of APX was not significantly affected by plant inoculation. Phenolic content of the resistant line was higher than that of the susceptible line at both growth stages investigated. Therefore, our results indicated the prominence of POX, CAT, PPO, and phenolics in sugar beet resistance against P. aphanidermatum.
Research Interests:
Fusarium graminearum and F. culmorum are the causal agents of Fusarium head blight (FHB) in cereal crops worldwide. Application of resistant cultivars is the most effective and economic method for management of FHB and reducing mycotoxin... more
Fusarium graminearum and F. culmorum are the causal agents of Fusarium head blight (FHB) in cereal crops worldwide. Application of resistant cultivars is the most effective and economic method for management of FHB and reducing mycotoxin production in wheat. Understanding the physiological and biochemical mechanisms involved in basal resistance of wheat to FHB disease is limited. In this research, after screening resistance levels of eighteen wheat cultivars planted in Iran, Gaskozhen and Falat were identified as partially resistant and susceptible wheat cultivars against Fusarium spp., respectively. Also, we investigated the role of hydroxyl radical (OH−), nitric oxide (NO), callose deposition, lipid peroxidation and protein content in basal resistance of wheat to the hemi-biotrophic and necrotrophic Fusarium species causing FHB. Nitric oxide as a signaling molecule may be involved in physiological and defensive processes in plants. Our results showed that NO generation increased i...
Research Interests:
Research Interests:
Research Interests:
Research Interests:
This study aimed at controlling the common fungi causing postharvest Aspergillus rot of cv. Thompson seedless table grape (Vitis vinifera L.) via application of epiphytic biocontrol agents. Antagonistic yeasts and bacteria were isolated... more
This study aimed at controlling the common fungi causing postharvest Aspergillus rot of cv. Thompson seedless table grape (Vitis vinifera L.) via application of epiphytic biocontrol agents. Antagonistic yeasts and bacteria were isolated from the epiphytic flora associated with grape berries and leaves from five vineyards in Iran. A total of 130 yeast and bacterial isolates from grapevine surfaces were screened for antagonism against Aspergillus flavus, A. niger and A. ochraceus, the main species responsible for the accumulation of aflatoxin and ochratoxin A in grape berries. Seven yeast and bacterial isolates were selected based on their inhibitory effects on Aspergillus spp. and assayed by an in vitro nutritional competition test for their antagonistic capability. These isolates showed obvious antifungal activity against three different species of Aspergillus. Five yeast isolates were identified based on ITS region sequences as Candida membranifasciens (isolates Ka15 and Kh69) and Meyerozyma guilliermondii (Ka21, Kh59 and Kh60). Two bacterial isolates were identified based on the 16S rRNA gene sequences as Bacillus sp. (Ka3 and A10). Finally, the effect of antagonistic isolates on inoculated grape berries for their ability to inhibit infection by Aspergillus spp. was also investigated. All isolates showed antagonistic properties against the pathogens assayed at 25 °C and significantly reduced the disease progress on grape berries. Our data demonstrated that application of antagonistic microorganisms could be a promising alternative to fungicide treatments for controlling postharvest diseases of grapevine.
Research Interests:
Tomato is one of the major crops grown in Iran, which is attacked by a large number of pathogens. Early blight is among the most important and harmful diseases of this plant caused by Alternaria spp. This study was conducted to identify... more
Tomato is one of the major crops grown in Iran, which is attacked by a large number of pathogens. Early blight is among the most important and harmful diseases of this plant caused by Alternaria spp. This study was conducted to identify Alternaria species causing early blight disease and to evaluate different virulence factors of this fungal pathogen. The samples were collected in Khorassan-Razavi province in Iran from tomato plants showing characteristic symptoms of the disease. Morphological identification of the isolates was done on PCA medium and under controlled conditions. Six Alternaria species, including A. alternata, A. tenuissima, A. arborescens, A. mimicula, A. interrupta and A. infectoria were identified. The ITS1 and ITS4 primers were used for molecular identification of the isolates via sequence analysis. The highest frequency was observed for A. alternata and the least frequent was A. infectoria. All isolates obtained in this study were pathogenic on tomato cultivar Peto Early Ch. The results showed significant differences in pathogenicity of the isolates on tomato plants. A. alternata and A. tenuissima had the highest and A. mimicula and A. infectoria had the lowest level of pathogenicity. In the qualitative analysis of cell wall degrading enzymes (CWDEs), all tested isolates were able to produce pectinase, cellulase, amylase, protease and lipase, but production of pectinase and cellulase had direct correlation with pathogenicity of the isolates.
Research Interests:
The objective of this study was to identify grapevine epiphytic yeasts and bacteria for biocontrol of Botrytis cinerea on grapes. Antagonistic yeasts and bacteria were isolated from the epiphytic flora associated with grape berries and... more
The objective of this study was to identify grapevine epiphytic yeasts and bacteria for biocontrol of Botrytis cinerea on grapes. Antagonistic yeasts and bacteria were isolated from the epiphytic flora associated with grape berries and leaves cv. ‘Thompson seedless’ from vineyards in Iran and identified by sequencing the conserved genomic regions. A total of 130 yeast and bacterial isolates from the surface of grapevine were screened in vitro for determining their antagonistic effect against B. cinerea and used to control postharvest gray mold. Among the 130 isolates, five yeasts and four bacterial isolates showed the greatest antagonistic activity in vitro against B. cinerea. Two yeasts species including Meyerozyma guilliermondii and Candida membranifaciens had high antagonistic capability against the pathogen. Also, 4 bacterial isolates belonging to Bacillus sp. and Ralstonia sp. showed significant biocontrol effect against B. cinerea. The isolates were capable of producing volati...
Research Interests:
Research Interests:
Fusarium graminearum Schwabe (teleomorph: Gibberella zeae) is a destructive fungus, causing economically important diseases such as seedling blight, root and crown rot and head blight on small grain cereals, in particular wheat and... more
Fusarium graminearum Schwabe (teleomorph: Gibberella zeae) is a destructive fungus, causing economically important diseases such as seedling blight, root and crown rot and head blight on small grain cereals, in particular wheat and barley. It is a devastating phytopathogen, not only due to causing significant yield losses, but also because of contaminating plant tissues with trichothecenes and other types of mycotoxins, which are harmful for human animal health. Several disease management strategies are used to decrease yield losses and mycotoxin production in cereals caused by this pathogenic fungus. Among various disease control methods, use of resistant cultivars could be the most effective way to combat diseases caused by F. graminearum in cereals. However, any plant cultivar with complete resistance against this pathogen was not reported worldwide and only some of the host cultivars with partial resistance against F. graminearum were identified, so far. Therefore, understanding biochemical and cytomolecular aspects of interaction in F. graminearum-cereals pathosystems would be valuable for designing novel management strategies against various diseases caused by this hemibiotrophic fungal pathogen on economically important cereals. This review is focused on biology, pathogenicity, and genetic structure of F. graminearum populations together with the role of reactive oxygen species (ROS) and antioxidant systems in association with plant cell wall in defense responses of cereals, as the main resistance mechanisms against this destructive fungus.
Research Interests:
Research Interests:
Research Interests:
Alternaria blight is a major and destructive disease of potato worldwide. In recent years, A. tenuissima is recognized as the most prevalent species of this phytopathogenic fungus in potato fields of Asian countries, which causes high... more
Alternaria blight is a major and destructive disease of potato worldwide. In recent years, A. tenuissima is recognized as the most prevalent species of this phytopathogenic fungus in potato fields of Asian countries, which causes high yield losses every year. Any potato cultivar with complete resistance to this disease is not recognized, so far. Therefore, screening resistance levels of potatoes and identification of plant defense mechanisms against this fungus might be important for designing novel and effective disease management strategies for controlling the disease. In this research, the role of reactive oxygen species, antioxidants, lignin and phenolics in potato basal resistance to A. tenuissima was compared in the partially resistant Ramus and susceptible Bamba cultivars. Priming O2- and H2O2 production and enhanced activity of peroxidase (POX) and catalase (CAT) during interaction with A. tenuissima were observed in Ramus cultivar. Application of ROS generating systems and scavengers revealed critical role of O2- and H2O2 in potato defense, which was associated with lignification and phenolics production. More OH- and lipid peroxidation in the susceptible Bamba compared to Ramus cultivar showed their negative effects on resistance. Priming the POX and CAT activity, in correlation with upregulation of the corresponding genes was observed in Ramus. The POX and CAT inhibitors increased disease progress, which was related with decreased lignification. This assay demonstrated not only POX-dependency of lignification, but also its dependence on CAT. However, POX had more importance than CAT in potato defense and in lignification. These findings highlight the function of ROS accumulation and homeostasis in potato resistance against A. tenuissima.
Research Interests:
Research Interests:
Fluorescent pseudomonads from bean root and rhizosphere in Iran were investigated for biocontrol of the fungal pathogen Rhizoctonia solani. Phylogenetic analysis of concatenated 16S rRNA, gyrB and rpoD sequences for 33 Pseudomonas... more
Fluorescent pseudomonads from bean root and rhizosphere in Iran were investigated for biocontrol of the fungal pathogen Rhizoctonia solani. Phylogenetic analysis of concatenated 16S rRNA, gyrB and rpoD sequences for 33 Pseudomonas isolates showed that 15 belonged to four clusters within the 'P. fluorescens' group, i.e. one corresponding to P. thivervalensis, two others including P. moraviensis or P. baetica, and the last one without closely-related established species. The 18 other isolates belonged to five clusters within the 'P. putida' group, one including P. mosselii and P. entomophila, another including strains currently described as P. putida, and three without closely-related species described. Ten isolates were selected based on in vitro inhibition of R. solani. Cellulase activity was identified in three pseudomonads, chitinase activity in two pseudomonads, extracellular protease activity in two pseudomonads and hydrogen cyanide production in two pseudomonads...
Research Interests:
Research Interests:
Here, we report the first draft whole-genome sequence of Pseudomonas fluorescens strain EK007-RG4, which was isolated from the phylloplane of a pear tree. P. fluorescens EK007-RG4 displays strong antagonism against Erwinia amylovora , the... more
Here, we report the first draft whole-genome sequence of Pseudomonas fluorescens strain EK007-RG4, which was isolated from the phylloplane of a pear tree. P. fluorescens EK007-RG4 displays strong antagonism against Erwinia amylovora , the causal agent for fire blight disease, in addition to several other pathogenic and non-pathogenic bacteria.
Research Interests:
Research Interests:
Research Interests:
Research Interests:
Research Interests:
Research Interests:
Research Interests:
Research Interests:
Throughout the world, charcoal rot, caused by Macrophomina phaseolina, is one of the most destructive and widespread diseases of crop plants such as soybean. In this study, the biological control capability of 11 Trichoderma spp. isolates... more
Throughout the world, charcoal rot, caused by Macrophomina phaseolina, is one of the most destructive and widespread diseases of crop plants such as soybean. In this study, the biological control capability of 11 Trichoderma spp. isolates against M. phaseolina was investigated using screening tests. Among all the tested Trichoderma spp. isolates, inhibition varied from 20.22 to 58.67% in dual culture tests. Dual culture, volatile and non-volatile tests revealed that two isolates of Trichoderma harzianum (including the isolates T7 and T14) best inhibited the growth of M. phaseolina in vitro. Therefore, these isolates were selected for biocontrol of M. phaseolina in vivo. The results of greenhouse experiments revealed that disease severity in the seed treatment with T. harzianum isolates was significantly lower than that of the soil treatment. In most of the cases, though, soil treatment with T. harzianum resulted in higher plant growth parameters, such as root and shoot weight. The e...