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ORIGINAL RESEARCH article
Front. Microbiol.
Sec. Microbe and Virus Interactions with Plants
Volume 16 - 2025 | doi: 10.3389/fmicb.2025.1562366
This article is part of the Research TopicBacillus and Pseudomonas as Plant Friends: Molecular, Physiological and Ecological InteractionsView all 9 articles
Bacillus velezensis LMY3-5 for the Biocontrol of Soft Rot in Kiwifruit: Antifungal Action and Underlying Mechanisms
Provisionally accepted- 1Guizhou Academy of Sciences, Guiyang, China
- 2Zunyi Agricultural and Rural Bureau, Zunyi, Guizhou Province, China
- 3Institute of Crop Germplasm Resources, Guizhou Academy of Agricultural Sciences, guiyang, China
- 4Guizhou Agricultural Ecology and Resource Protection Station, guiyang, China
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Soft rot caused by Botryosphaeria dothidea is a serious fungal disease in kiwifruit observed during the storage period, and it seriously restricts the healthy and stable development of the kiwifruit industry. In the present study, the bacterial strain LMY3-5 with high antifungal activity was isolated from healthy kiwifruit tissues. Based on gyrA and 16S rRNA sequences, a phylogenetic tree was constructed, and LMY3-5 was identified as Bacillus velezensis. The 16% cell-free supernatant (CFS) of LMY3-5 suppressed B. dothidea spore germination and mycelial growth by 97.32%. The 16% CFS of LMY3-5 could effectively inhibit the expansion of kiwifruit soft rot in vitro, and the inhibition rate was 73.59 %. The scanning electron microscopy (SEM) observations of B. dothidea mycelia treated with the 16% CFS for 12 h showed that the mycelia were curved, wrinkled, and sunken. Moreover, transmission electron microscopy (TEM) observations revealed blurred boundaries of mycelial cell walls as well as plasmolysis and vacuolization. Propidium iodide (PI) staining showed that the CFS treatment damaged the cell membrane of B. dothidea and affected its permeability, which led to leakage of the nucleic acids and proteins. Simultaneously, a substantial increase in the activity of key enzymes (i.e., β-1,3-glucanase and chitinase) was observed, which indicated damage to the cell wall function of B. dothidea. GC/LC-MS analysis revealed the presence of 27 antimicrobial compounds. Thus, the LMY3-5 strain showed great potential as a biocontrol agent for soft rot disease in kiwifruit.
Keywords: kiwifruit soft rot, Botryosphaeria dothidea, Bacillus velezensis, Antifungal activity, biocontrol
Received: 20 Jan 2025; Accepted: 08 Apr 2025.
Copyright: © 2025 春光, liu, chen, su, Chen and tian. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.
* Correspondence:
任 春光, Guizhou Academy of Sciences, Guiyang, China
bing tian, Guizhou Agricultural Ecology and Resource Protection Station, guiyang, China
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