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Isolation and identification of Bacillus and abilities of 3 functional strains to control powdery mildew and promote seedling growth of Malus sieversii

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Abstract

To effectively control the powdery mildew (Podosphaera leucotricha) of Malus sieversii (Msi) and promote the growth of Msi seedlings, 170 Bacillus strains (NECC10001-NECC10170) were isolated from 10 Msi tree rhizosphere soils from Xinjiang wild fruit forest, China; 55 Bacillus isolates with typical representative characteristics were identified, including 10 Bacillus species. Owing to their rapid growth and good biocontrol effects, B. velezensis NECC10057 (Bve057), B. amyloliquefaciens NECC10112 (Bam112), and B. subtilis NECC10145 (Bsu145) were selected for further study. Bve057, Bam112, and Bsu145 significantly increased the number of lateral roots and biomass of Msi seedlings. Plant height, fresh weight, and dry weight of Msi treated with Bve057, Bam112, and Bsu145 fermentation broths for 30 d was at least 25%, 11%, and 50% higher, respectively, than that of the control. Treatment with fermentation broths of the three Bacillus strains increased the number of lateral roots, which enhanced water and nutrient absorption and promoted Msi seedling growth. After treatment with Bve057, Bam112, and Bsu145 fermentation broth for 6 d, catalase activity of Msi seedlings reached a peak (> 812.83 µmol/min/g), which was 295% higher than that in the control. Furthermore, the hydrogen peroxide and malondialdehyde content of treated Msi leaves was significantly lower than that of the control. Notably, leaves treated with Bacillus showed open stomata, which improves the photosynthetic rate and protects leaf tissue integrity. Thus, the three Bacillus isolates endow Msi with the ability to resist P. leucotricha by increasing the antioxidant capacity and photosynthetic rate. Thus, Bve057, Bam112, and Bsu145 isolated from Msi tree rhizosphere soils from Xinjiang wild fruit forest promoted Msi growth and enhanced its resistance against powdery mildew.

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Data Availability

The data that support the findings of this study are available on request from the corresponding author, [Liu], upon reasonable request.

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Acknowledgements

This work was supported by grants from the LiaoNing Revitalization Talents Program (XLYC2002044), the National Natural Science Foundation of China (NSFC:31870627) and Startup Funds of Talent Introduction of Shenyang Agricultural University.

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  1. Bin Liu and Yanrong Xu contributed equally to this work.

Authors and Affiliations

  1. College of Forestry, Shenyang Agricultural University, Shenyang, 110866, China

    Bin Liu, Shida Ji, Huifang Zhang, Jing Han, Jinyu Qi & Zhihua Liu

  2. School of Forestry, Northeast Forestry University, 26 Hexing Road, Harbin, 150040, China

    Yanrong Xu, Ping Zhang, Haijuan Fan & Jinjie Wang

  3. State Key Laboratory for Biology of Plant Diseases and Insect Pests, Institute of Plant Protection, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Beijing, 100193, China

    Yanrong Xu

  4. Horticultural College, Shenyang Agricultural University, Shenyang, 110866, China

    Yue Ma

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  1. Bin Liu
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Liu, B., Xu, Y., Ji, S. et al. Isolation and identification of Bacillus and abilities of 3 functional strains to control powdery mildew and promote seedling growth of Malus sieversii. Eur J Plant Pathol 167, 11–24 (2023). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10658-023-02680-5

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