Abstract

ORBERA, Teresa de los M; SERRAT, Manuel de Jesús  and  ORTEGA, Eduardo. Potential applications of Bacillus subtilis strain SR/B-16 for the control of phytopathogenic fungi in economically relevant cropsPotencialidades de la cepa SR/B-16 de Bacillus subtilis para el control de enfermedades causadas por hongos en cultivos de interés agrícola. Biotecnol Apl [online]. 2014, vol.31, n.1, pp. 13-17. ISSN 1027-2852.

Countries all over the world have experienced the negative impact that phytopathogenic fungi and oomycetes have on food security. Controlling these organisms remains a daunting task due to their genetic plasticity and the large temporal and geographic variability of their populations, which enables them to evolve and develop pesticide-resistant variants despite the considerable effort spent on developing disease-resistant varieties. One strategy for the control of plant diseases is that of biological control using natural enemies of these pests, such as rhizobacteria of the Bacillus and Pseudomonas genera. Bacillus subtilis, in particular, is characterized by the extracellular secretion of a number of antibiotics, microbial lipopeptides and hydrolytic enzymes such as chitinases and proteases that can be harnessed for the control of phytopathogens. The present review describes and examines the advantages and potential applications of B. subtilis strain SR/B-16, originally isolated from the rhizosphere of organically farmed ornamental plants, for the biological control of fungal phytopathogens attacking commercially important crops. In vitro challenging of phytopathogenic fungi with SR/B-16 has demonstrated that the antifungal activity of the latter has a broad spectrum, due to the secretion of metabolites producing structural and ultrastructural changes on the fungal cell. In addition, strain SR/B-16 efficiently colonizes the rhizosphere, which confers it advantages as a potential biopesticide and biofertilizer. Therefore, this microorganism may promote plant growth both by increasing the availability of nitrogen and phosphorous in agricultural soils and by controlling fungal phytopathogens.

Keywords : Inmunoglobulina A; secretory IgA; enfermedades infecciosas; profilaxis; treatment.

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