Antifungal activity of Brevibacillus laterosporus JX-5 and characterization of its antifungal components

• Published in: World journal of microbiology & biotechnology 2015-10, Vol.31 (10), p.1605-1618
• Main Authors: Jiang, Hongxia, Wang, Xiaohui, Xiao, Chengze, Wang, Weiyan, Zhao, Xu, Sui, Junkang, Sa, Rongbo, Guo, Tai L, Liu, Xunli
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Agriculture; Analysis; Antibiosis; Antifungal Agents - isolation & purification; Antifungal Agents - metabolism; antifungal properties; Antimicrobial agents; Applied Microbiology; Ascomycota - drug effects; Ascomycota - growth & development; Bacteria; Biochemistry; Biological control; biological control agents; Biomedical and Life Sciences; Biotechnology; Botryosphaeria dothidea; Brevibacillus - classification; Brevibacillus - isolation & purification; Brevibacillus - metabolism; Brevibacillus - physiology; Brevibacillus laterosporus; cankers; Cell Membrane - drug effects; Cell Membrane - physiology; cell walls; Cluster Analysis; culture media; DNA, Bacterial - chemistry; DNA, Bacterial - genetics; DNA, Ribosomal - chemistry; DNA, Ribosomal - genetics; Environmental Engineering/Biotechnology; Fermentation; Forestry; Fracturing; Fungi; Fungicides; growth retardation; heat stability; Life Sciences; Microbial Viability - drug effects; Microbiology; Molecular Sequence Data; Nuclei; Original Paper; Pathogens; Permeability - drug effects; Permeating; Pesticides; Phylogeny; Plant diseases; Plant Diseases - microbiology; plant diseases and disorders; Poplar; Populus - microbiology; Rhizosphere; RNA, Ribosomal, 16S - genetics; Sequence Analysis, DNA; Soil Microbiology; Studies; Veterinary medicine
• ISSN: 0959-3993; 1573-0972
• DOI: 10.1007/s11274-015-1912-4

The establishment of safe and effective methods for controlling fungal disease is an urgent issue in agriculture and forestry. Microbiological control of plant disease is expected to achieve better results than use of chemically derived fungicides. This study aimed to establish Brevibacillus laterosporus JX-5 as a potential microbiological control agent of poplar canker. The bacterium was isolated from the poplar rhizosphere and demonstrated significant growth inhibition of several pathogenic fungi in vitro. The antifungal components of Br. laterosporus JX-5 were isolated and identified. The fermentation broth of Br. laterosporus JX-5 and its main antifungal component, designated as component B, reduced Botryosphaeria dothidea associated canker of the excised poplar branch by 70 and 90 %, respectively. Component B is considerably heat-stable, adaptable to a broad pH range, and UV-resistant. It could inhibit Bo. dothidea by permeating the fungal membrane, fracturing the nuclei, damaging the cell wall, and eventually killing the pathogenic fungus. The antifungal activity exhibited by Br. laterosporus JX-5 and its bioactive metabolic products indicate its feasibility as a potential biocontrol agent for plant diseases.