Location: Vegetable Crops Research
Project Number: 5090-21220-005-018-S
Project Type: Non-Assistance Cooperative Agreement
Start Date: Aug 1, 2018
End Date: Aug 31, 2019
Objective:
We plan to: 1) study a soil bacterium (AK) isolated from Alaskan soil as a potential biocontrol or bioprotectant against late blight and other potato diseases; and 2) purify and identify the pigment and compound(s) that attack Phytophthora infestans by combining genomic information with activity-guided fractionation of the AK culture.
Approach:
Objective 1. We will verify and optimize AK activity against P. infestans and other potato pathogens. AK will be cultured on agar plates to which other pathogens will be added either with top agar or with mycelial agar plugs. Pathogens will be cultured with and without AK for comparison. If the isolate demonstrates activity against these pathogens, we will determine if the same compound active against P. infestans (see below) is responsible for the new activity, or pursue new activity-guided fractionation to identity the compounds targeting the other potato pathogens inhibited by the AK isolate.
Objective 2. We will generate crude chemical extracts of a large-scale AK culture (with various solvents such as water and methanol) to determine which fraction(s) inhibit P. infestans. Active fractions will be analyzed with HPLC and LCMS to detect the compounds present. We will re-fractionate and retest to isolate and purify the active compound(s), then integrate genomic information to identify compound structures.
