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ARS Home » Plains Area » College Station, Texas » Southern Plains Agricultural Research Center » Insect Control and Cotton Disease Research » Research » Publications at this Location » Publication #403141
Research Project: Molecular and Genetic Approaches to Manage Cotton and Sorghum Diseases

Location: Insect Control and Cotton Disease Research

Title: In vitro antagonistic action by Bacillus velezensis strain LP16S against cotton wilt pathogens

Author
item Prom, Louis
item Medrano, Enrique
item Liu, Jinggao

Submitted to: Journal of Agriculture and Crops
Publication Type: Peer Reviewed Journal
Publication Acceptance Date: 5/13/2023
Publication Date: 5/19/2023
Citation: Prom, L.K., Medrano, E.G., Liu, J. 2023. In vitro antagonistic action by Bacillus velezensis strain LP16S against cotton wilt pathogens. Journal of Agriculture and Crops. 9(3):372-375. https://doi.org/10.32861/jac.93.372.375.
DOI: https://doi.org/10.32861/jac.93.372.375

Interpretive Summary: Verticillium dahliae and Fusarium oxysporum f. sp. vasinfectum are two of the most damaging fungal pathogens of cotton. Worldwide, these two pathogens cause losses in yield and quality amounting to hundreds of million dollars annually. A laboratory study to determine the activity of Bacillus velezensis LP16S, a bacterial biocontrol agent used in sorghum, showed that this strain can reduce the fungal growth of both cotton wilt pathogens. This work is significant because it identified a biocontrol agent that could potentially be used to control cotton wilt diseases in the field, thereby reducing production costs in an environmentally safe manner.

Technical Abstract: Cotton productivity and profitability are hampered by several biotic stresses, including the two most destructive wilt pathogens Verticillium dahliae and Fusarium oxysporum f. sp. vasinfectum (FOV). In this study, an in vitro assay was conducted to determine the activity of Bacillus velezensis LP16S against three V. dahliae isolates and six F. oxysporum f. sp. vasinfectum isolates. Among the fungal isolates, the response when exposed to the B. velezensis LP16S strain in a half-strength potato dextrose agar plate varied markedly. Fusarium oxysporum f. sp. vasinfectum isolates FOV11, FOV 944, and FOV Tx8 were tolerant, while FOV Tx39, FOV 1073, and the three V. dahliae isolates were highly sensitive to B. velezensis LP16S. In conclusion, this Bacillus sp. strain has potential for use in managing these damaging cotton diseases.