Antagonistic effects of biofilm-forming bacterial strains co-inoculated with blood disease pathogenic strain, Ralstonia syzygii subspecies celebesensis in banana plants

• Published in: European journal of plant pathology 2017-05, Vol.148 (1), p.13-26
• Main Authors: Suhaimi, Nurul Shamsinah Mohd, Laboh, Rozeita, Ajam, Noni, Thong, Kwai Lin
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Agriculture; Aquatic plants; Bacteria; Biofilms; Biomedical and Life Sciences; Blood; Ecology; Enterobacter cloacae; Fruits; Klebsiella pneumoniae; Life Sciences; Pathogens; Plant diseases; Plant Pathology; Plant Sciences; Ralstonia
• ISSN: 0929-1873; 1573-8469
• DOI: 10.1007/s10658-016-1064-x

A blood disease pathogenic strain, Ralstonia syzygii subspecies celebesensis was used to study the possible association of biofilm-forming bacteria with the development and severity of blood disease in banana plants. Therefore, the objective of this study was to determine the effects of mono-culture and co-culture inoculation of isolated biofilm-forming bacteria with the blood disease pathogen in banana pseudostems in glasshouse conditions. Putative biofilm-forming bacteria were isolated from an infected banana plant and were further identified using 16SrRNA sequencing. Four isolates, identified as Enterobacter hormaechei, Enterobacter cloacae, Kosakonia radicincitans and Klebsiella pneumoniae , were inoculated as a mono- and co-culture with R. syzygii subsp. celebesensis into 2 months old banana plants. The observation after the 8 weeks of post inoculation showed that plants which were co-inoculated with the pathogen and K. radicincitans, a biofilm-forming bacterium , were the most susceptible towards the infection. In contrast, plants under two treatments (which were co-inoculated with the pathogen and E. cloacae and the pathogen with E. hormaechei ) were less susceptible towards the infection. This study revealed the antagonistic effects of two biofilm-forming strains which reduced the severity of infection caused by the pathogenic agent. Scanning electron micrographs of the cross section of plant rhizomes indicated the dissimilarity of adhesion and host colonization conditions of the pathogen in each infected plant from different treatments.