Abstract
The Fresno-Benavente Pepper (F-BP)
Protected Geographical Indication (PGI) is a horticultural crop characterized by its great agronomic, economic and cultural importance in the region of Castilla y
León (Spain). Field production is threatened by
verticillium wilt caused by Verticillium dahliae and
postharvest losses due to grey mould caused by Botrytis
cinerea. Eight Bacillus spp. strains en ...
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The Fresno-Benavente Pepper (F-BP)
Protected Geographical Indication (PGI) is a horticultural crop characterized by its great agronomic, economic and cultural importance in the region of Castilla y
León (Spain). Field production is threatened by
verticillium wilt caused by Verticillium dahliae and
postharvest losses due to grey mould caused by Botrytis
cinerea. Eight Bacillus spp. strains endophytically isolated from F-BP roots were used in the study. By conducting an in vitro antagonism study, we found that all
Bacillus strains were effective against B. cinerea and
five of them showed high antagonism against
V. dahliae, with B. siamensis and B. proteolyticus
strains being the most effective against both pathogens.
Eight Bacillus strains were used for an infection test in
F-BP fruits and plants to test their activity against both
fungal pathogens. We report that Bacillus thuringiensis,
B. siamensis and B. pumilus (SCFC 1–2) could control
B. cinerea in pepper fruits through direct action and
local activation of plant defences. In the case of
V. dahliae root infection, plant roots inoculated with
B. siamensis and B. proteolyticus were able to significantly decrease the occurrence of disease through direct
action and local activation of jasmonic acid as a defence
response. Therefore, we propose that B. siamensis could
be used to control B. cinerea and V. dahliae in F-BP
fruits and plants, respectively, through direct antagonism as well as the induction of local plant defence
responses. [--]
Subject
Antagonism,
Bacillus siamensis,
Botrytis cinerea,
Pepper,
Plant defenses,
Verticillium dahliae
Published in
European Journal of Plant Pathology (2022) 164:507–524
Departament
Universidad Pública de Navarra/Nafarroako Unibertsitate Publikoa. Institute for Multidisciplinary Research in Applied Biology - IMAB
Sponsorship
Open Access funding provided by Universidad Pública de Navarra. This work was supported by the Instituto de Estudios Zamoranos “Florián de Ocampo” (IEZFO) as part of the XXVIII Call for Research Grants in 2020.