Biological Control of Leaf Blight Disease Caused by <i>Pestalotiopsis maculans</i> and Growth Promotion of <i>Quercus acutissima</i> Carruth Container Seedlings Using <i>Bacillus velezensis</i> CE 100

Leaf blight disease caused by <i>Pestalotiopsis</i><i>maculans</i> lead to deleterious losses in the quality of forest container seedlings. The use of plant growth-promoting bacteria provides a promising strategy to simultaneously control diseases and enhance forest seedling...

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Bibliographic Details
Main Authors: Sang-Jae Won, Jae-Hyun Moon, Henry B. Ajuna, Su-In Choi, Chaw Ei Htwe Maung, Sangtae Lee, Young Sang Ahn
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: MDPI AG 2021-10-01
Series:International Journal of Molecular Sciences
Subjects:
Online Access:https://www.mdpi.com/1422-0067/22/20/11296
Description
Summary:Leaf blight disease caused by <i>Pestalotiopsis</i><i>maculans</i> lead to deleterious losses in the quality of forest container seedlings. The use of plant growth-promoting bacteria provides a promising strategy to simultaneously control diseases and enhance forest seedling production. This study investigated the biocontrol of leaf blight disease and growth promotion potential of <i>Bacillus velezensis</i> CE 100 in <i>Quercus acutissima</i> Carruth seedlings. <i>B. velezensis</i> CE 100 produced cell wall degrading enzymes, such as chitinase, β-l,3-glucanase, and protease, which caused cell wall lysis and hyphae deformation of <i>P. maculans</i>, leading to mycelial growth inhibition by 54.94%. Inoculation of <i>B. velezensis</i> CE 100 suppressed <i>P. maculans</i> infection and increased seedling survival rate by 1.6-fold and 1.3-fold compared to chemical fertilizer and control, respectively. In addition, <i>B</i>. <i>velezensis</i> CE 100 produced indole-3-acetic acid, which improved root development and nutrient uptake compared to chemical fertilizer and control. Especially, inoculation with <i>B. velezensis</i> CE 100 increased the total nitrogen content of <i>Q. acutissima</i> seedlings, improved the chlorophyll index in the leaves, and increased seedling biomass by 1.3-fold and 2.2-fold compared to chemical fertilizer and control, respectively. Thus, <i>B. velezensis</i> CE 100 could be applied in the eco-friendly production of high-quality forest seedlings.
ISSN:1661-6596
1422-0067