Characterisation of Pectinolytic Bacillus pumilus and Paenibacillus amyloliticus Strains, New Pathogens of Potato in Tunisia

Anissa Yahyaoui, Maroua Oueslati, Agata Motyka-Pomagruk, Natalia Kaczynska, Wojciech Sledz, Belhassen Tarhouni, Mohamed Rabeh Hajlaoui, Ewa Lojkowska () and Najla Sadfi-Zouaoui ()
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Anissa Yahyaoui: Laboratory of Mycology, Pathologies and Biomarkers (LR16ES05), Department of Biology, Faculty of Sciences of Tunis, University of Tunis El Manar, Tunis 2092, Tunisia
Maroua Oueslati: Laboratory of Mycology, Pathologies and Biomarkers (LR16ES05), Department of Biology, Faculty of Sciences of Tunis, University of Tunis El Manar, Tunis 2092, Tunisia
Agata Motyka-Pomagruk: Laboratory of Plant Protection and Biotechnology, Intercollegiate Faculty of Biotechnology UG & MUG, University Gdansk, 80-307 Gdansk, Poland
Natalia Kaczynska: Laboratory of Plant Protection and Biotechnology, Intercollegiate Faculty of Biotechnology UG & MUG, University Gdansk, 80-307 Gdansk, Poland
Wojciech Sledz: Laboratory of Plant Protection and Biotechnology, Intercollegiate Faculty of Biotechnology UG & MUG, University Gdansk, 80-307 Gdansk, Poland
Belhassen Tarhouni: Technical Center of Potato and Artichoke, Route Jedaida, Saïda 2031, Tunisia
Mohamed Rabeh Hajlaoui: Laboratory of Biotechnology Applied to Agriculture, INRA Tunisia, University of Carthage, Ariana 2094, Tunisia
Ewa Lojkowska: Laboratory of Plant Protection and Biotechnology, Intercollegiate Faculty of Biotechnology UG & MUG, University Gdansk, 80-307 Gdansk, Poland
Najla Sadfi-Zouaoui: Laboratory of Mycology, Pathologies and Biomarkers (LR16ES05), Department of Biology, Faculty of Sciences of Tunis, University of Tunis El Manar, Tunis 2092, Tunisia

Agriculture, 2023, vol. 13, issue 6, 1-16

Abstract: Soft rot disease in potato is a major problem in fields and warehouses all over the world. Although it is known that bacteria from the genera Pectobacterium and Dickeya are the main causative agents of soft rot diseases, recent studies indicate the involvement of pectinolytic Bacillus and Paenibacillus in this disease. In the present research, samples of potato with soft rot symptoms were collected from eight governorates of Tunisia. Two hundred and seventy bacterial isolates were acquired from tubers. Twenty of the isolated strains indicted pectinolytic activity by forming deep cavities on crystal violet pectate medium. All pectinolytic isolates were able to macerate potato tuber tissue. Phenotypic characterisation showed that these isolates were Gram-positive bacilli, exhibiting pectinolytic, cellulolytic, proteolytic and amylolytic activity. The majority of the isolates indicated swimming and swarming motility. The application of API test, MALDI-TOF MS and 16S rDNA sequencing allowed for the assignment of nineteen of the tested isolates to the species Bacillus pumilus and one to the species Paenibacillus amyloliticus . To the best of our knowledge, this is the first report of soft rot in potato caused by pectinolytic B. pumilus in Tunisia.

Keywords: soft rot; pectinolytic bacteria; Bacillus pumilus; MALDI-TOF MS; emerging pests; epidemiology (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: 2023
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