In vitro potential of Bacillus spp. Antagonists for suppression of Xanthomonas euvesicatoria phytopathogens

Abstract

Bacterial pathogen Xanthomonas euvesicatoria, principal causer of bacterial spot, represents a significant problem in agricultural practice due to high yield losses in the production of pepper and tomato. The development of resistance to copper pesticides has shifted research, in the field of its suppression, towards biopesticides. In this study, several Bacillus strains were tested against Xanthomonas euvesicatoria strains, isolated from pepper leaves with symptoms of bacterial spot, to select a sufficiently effective antagonist. When it comes to the testing of cultivation broth, containing biomass of tested antagonists, the best results were achieved using isolate Bacillus sp3. On the other hand, when biomass-free supernatants, containing produced antimicrobial compounds, were tested, Bacillus sp1 and Bacillus sp2 have shown the highest antimicrobial activity. The results of this study represent a basis for further development of bioprocess solutions for the production of biopesticides based on Bacillus spp. biomass or antimicrobial compounds, showing high efficiency in suppression of pepper bacterial spot.

Keywords

• antimicrobial activity
• pepper
• bacterial spot
• biomass
• antimicrobial compounds
• sensitivity