Bacillus velezensis WZ-37, a New Broad-Spectrum Biocontrol Strain, Promotes the Growth of Tomato Seedlings

Xiuling Chen, Haifeng Huang, Shumei Zhang, Yao Zhang, Jingbin Jiang, Youwen Qiu, Jiayin Liu and Aoxue Wang
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Xiuling Chen: College of Horticulture and Landscape Architecture, Northeast Agricultural University, Harbin 150030, China
Haifeng Huang: College of Life Sciences, Northeast Agricultural University, Harbin 150030, China
Shumei Zhang: Institute of Microbiology, Heilongjiang Academy of Sciences, Harbin 150001, China
Yao Zhang: College of Life Sciences, Northeast Agricultural University, Harbin 150030, China
Jingbin Jiang: College of Horticulture and Landscape Architecture, Northeast Agricultural University, Harbin 150030, China
Youwen Qiu: College of Life Sciences, Northeast Agricultural University, Harbin 150030, China
Jiayin Liu: College of Sciences, Northeast Agricultural University, Harbin 150030, China
Aoxue Wang: College of Horticulture and Landscape Architecture, Northeast Agricultural University, Harbin 150030, China

Agriculture, 2021, vol. 11, issue 7, 1-14

Abstract: A biological control agent is arguably an ideal alternative to chemical fungicide for the prevention and control of gray mold disease. During this process, a biological control produces low levels of pollution, generates few residues that pose no risk to the environment, and pathogens cannot gain resistance to it easily. A new antifungal strain isolated from plant rhizosphere exhibited high antifungal activity against the phytopathogens Botrytis cinerea , Fusarium oxysporum f. sp. cucumerinum , F. moniliforme , Sclerotinia sclerotiorum , Colletotrichum orbiculare , Alternaria nees , F. equiseti , and F. oxysporum f. sp. lycopersici . It was identified as Bacillus velezensis WZ-37 by morphological and physiological indices and comparisons of 16S rRNA and gyrB genes. WZ-37 can significantly inhibit the mycelia growth of B. cinerea by 96.97%. It can reduce a tomato fruit’s decay rate after 21 days of storage by 33.33% (13.34% less for the control) without significantly affecting its firmness and soluble solids. Plant height, stem diameter, and the fresh and dry weight of tomato seedlings were significantly increased when their seeds were soaked in a WZ-37 suspension (10 6 cfu/mL) for 3 h and grown for 21 days in soil. WZ-37 has broad-spectrum biocontrol and can prolong a tomato’s storage period and enhance its seedlings’ growth, making it a promising candidate strain for broad-spectrum biocontrol applications in agriculture.

Keywords: gray mold; biocontrol; Bacillus velezensis; broad spectrum; growth promotion (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: Q1 Q10 Q11 Q12 Q13 Q14 Q15 Q16 Q17 Q18 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2021
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