Abstract

RIOS VELASCO, C. et al. Identification and antagonistic activity in vitro of Bacillus spp. and Trichoderma spp. isolates against common phytopathogenic fungi. Rev. mex. fitopatol [online]. 2016, vol.34, n.1, pp.85-99. ISSN 2007-8080.  https://doi.org/10.18781/R.MEX.FIT.1507-1.

Several diseases in crop plants caused by pathogenic fungi represent an economic problem due the losses they cause. Likewise, antagonistic microorganisms have been used as biological control agents such as Trichoderma spp. and Bacillus spp., among others as an efficient alternative to reduce the use of chemical fungicides in the control of crop diseases. The aim of this study was to identify the taxa of pathogens and antagonists microorganisms based on their molecular characters and to evaluate the antagonistic activity in vitro of two Bacillus isolates and two Trichoderma isolates, against five common pathogenic fungi: Fusarium oxysporum, Botrytis cinerea, Penicillium crustosum, Aspergillus nidulans, and Alternaria alternata. The nine microorganisms were used for the gDNA extraction and to amplify the 18S ribosomal DNA gene and the Internal Transcribed Spacer with the ITS primers ITS5 and ITS4 of fungi and gene of the 16S of the rDNA, using the universal primers EU(F) and EU(R) for bacteria, for molecular identification. Both T. asperellum isolates showed a significant antagonistic activity against the phytopathogenic fungi tested where the percentage of radial growth inhibition (PRGI) of the fungi colonies ranged from 43 to 71 %, whereas the PRGI induced by Bacillus species, were significant, with values up to 69 % when tested in vitro against B. cinerea, while the lowest effect was observed with F. oxysporum, P. crustosum, and A. nidulans. Both Bacillus species induced the presence of an inhibition halo, with values of 5 and 11 mm, when tested in vitro against F. oxysporum, and B. cinerea, respectively. The antagonistic effect of the bacterial and fungal isolates showed that these microorganisms could be used as biological control agents of several phytopathogenic fungi of crop plants.

Keywords : Bacillus methylotrophicus; Bacillus amyloliquefaciens; Trichoderma asperellum; phytopathogens; ITS region; molecular identification.

        · abstract in Spanish     · text in English | Spanish     · English ( pdf ) | Spanish ( pdf )