1. Microbiota Associated with Sclerotia of Soilborne Fungal Pathogens – A Novel Source of Biocontrol Agents Producing Bioactive Volatiles
- Author
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Barbara Gstöttenmayr, Gabriele Berg, Kristin Dietel, Tomislav Cernava, Pascal Mülner, Dženana Sarajlić, Rita Grosch, Philipp Wagner, and Alessandro Bergna
- Subjects
Ecology (disciplines) ,Biological pest control ,Plant Science ,lcsh:Plant culture ,lcsh:Microbial ecology ,Rhizoctonia solani ,03 medical and health sciences ,agriculture, biocontrol consortia, ecology, microbial volatile organic compounds, microbiome, Rhizoctonia solani, Sclerotinia sclerotiorum, Solanum tuberosum ,Botany ,lcsh:SB1-1110 ,Microbiome ,Molecular Biology ,Ecology, Evolution, Behavior and Systematics ,030304 developmental biology ,0303 health sciences ,Ecology ,biology ,030306 microbiology ,Sclerotinia sclerotiorum ,food and beverages ,lcsh:QK900-989 ,biology.organism_classification ,Solanum tuberosum ,lcsh:Plant ecology ,lcsh:QR100-130 ,Agronomy and Crop Science - Abstract
Soilborne plant pathogens are an increasing problem in modern agriculture, and their ability to survive long periods in soil as persistent sclerotia makes control and treatment particularly challenging. To develop new control strategies, we explored bacteria associated with sclerotia ofSclerotinia sclerotiorumandRhizoctonia solani, two soilborne fungi causing high yield losses. We combined different methodological approaches to get insights into the indigenous microbiota of sclerotia, to compare it to bacterial communities of the surrounding environment, and to identify novel biocontrol agents and antifungal volatiles. Analysis of 16S rRNA gene fragment amplicons revealed significant compositional differences in the bacterial microbiomes ofRhizoctoniasclerotia, the unaffected tuber surface and surrounding soil. Moreover, distinctive bacterial lineages were associated with specific sample types.FlavobacteriaceaeandCaulobacteraceaewere primarily found in unaffected areas, whilePhyllobacteriaceaeandBradyrhizobiaceaewere associated with sclerotia ofR. solani. In parallel, we studied a strain collection isolated from sclerotia of the pathogens for emission of bioactive volatile compounds. Isolates ofBacillus,Pseudomonas, andButtiauxellaexhibited high antagonistic activity toward both soilborne pathogens and were shown to produce novel, not yet described volatiles. Differential imaging showed that volatiles emitted by the antagonists altered the melanized sclerotia surface ofS. sclerotiorum. Interestingly, combinations of bacterial antagonists increased inhibition of mycelial growth up to 60% when compared with single isolates. Our study showed that fungal survival structures are associated with a specific microbiome, which is also a reservoir for new biocontrol agents.
- Published
- 2019
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