Antimicrobial Activity of Bacillus sp. Natural Isolates and Their Potential Use in the Biocontrol of Phytopathogenic Bacteria

Screening of 203 Bacillus sp. natural isolates for antimicrobial activity against phytopathogenic bacteria showed that 127 tested strains inhibit at least one sensitive strain, which illustrates their potential use as biocontrol agents. Among them, 104 isolates showed significant antagonism against Xanthomonas oryzae pv. oryzae, and only one of these (VPS50.2) synthesizes bacteriocin. An additional screening tested whether 51 isolates contained genes involved in the biosynthesis of lipopeptides of the iturin and surfactin classes. Results show that 33 isolates harbour the operon for iturin biosynthesis, and six of them carry the sfp gene, responsible for the biosynthesis of surfactin. Lipopeptide purification from the supernatant of isolate SS12.9 (identified as B. subtilis or B. amyloliquefaciens) was performed using ethyl acetate extraction, ultrafiltration and reversed phase HPLC. Mass spectrometry analysis confirmed that isolate SS12.9 produces a substance of the iturin class with potential for biocontrol of X. oryzae pv. oryzae.