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ORIGINAL RESEARCH article
Front. Plant Sci.
Sec. Plant Pathogen Interactions
Volume 16 - 2025 |
doi: 10.3389/fpls.2025.1535296
Antifungal efficacy and mechanisms of Bacillus licheniformis BL06 against Ceratocystis fimbriata
Provisionally accepted
Fangyuan Gao 1
Dongjing Yang 1* Jingwei Chen 1* Xiaosi Zhou 2* Chengling Zhang 1* Jukui Ma 1*
Wei Tang 1 Zhao Liang 1* Cong Tong 1* Yongwang Wu 3*
Hongxia Liu 4* Houjun Sun 1*- 1 Xuzhou Institute of Agricultural Sciences, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Xuzhou, China
- 2 Jiangsu Coastal Institute of Agricultural Sciences, Yancheng, Jiangsu Province, China
- 3 Suzhou RainMed Medical Technology Co., Ltd, Suzhou, Liaoning Province, China
- 4 Department of Plant Pathology, College of Plant Protection, Faculty of Plant Science, Nanjing Agricultural University, Nanjing, Jiangsu Province, China
Sweetpotato black rot caused by the pathogenic fungus Ceratocystis fimbriata is a destructive disease that can result in severe agricultural losses. This study explores the antifungal efficacy and underlying mechanisms of Bacillus licheniformis BL06 against C. fimbriata. The plate antagonism assay revealed that BL06 significantly suppressed the radial growth of C. fimbriata mycelia, achieving inhibition rates of 39.53%, 53.57%, 64.38%, and 69.11% after 7, 10, 13, and 16 days, respectively. In vivo experiments demonstrated that BL06-treated sweetpotato tissues exhibited markedly smaller lesions than the control, indicating effective suppression of black rot.Microscopic observations indicated that BL06 treatment altered the morphology and activity of C. fimbriata mycelia, causing swelling and deformation. Additionally, BL06 markedly reduced spore production and germination in a dose-dependent manner, with complete inhibition observed at the highest concentrations tested. The cell-free supernatant (CFS) of BL06 was identified as the primary antifungal agent, achieving an inhibition rate of 76.11% on mycelial growth. Transcriptome analysis of C. fimbriata treated with BL06 CFS revealed significant downregulation of genes involved in cell wall and membrane biosynthesis, spore development, protein processing in the endoplasmic reticulum, and energy metabolism. These findings suggest that BL06 is a potent biocontrol agent against C. fimbriata, exerting its effects through multiple molecular pathways.
Keywords: Bacillus licheniformis BL06, Ceratocystis fimbriata, biological control, Sweetpotato, Transcriptome
Received: 27 Nov 2024; Accepted: 06 Feb 2025.
Copyright: © 2025 Gao, Yang, Chen, Zhou, Zhang, Ma, Tang, Liang, Tong, Wu, Liu and Sun. 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:
Dongjing Yang, Xuzhou Institute of Agricultural Sciences, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Xuzhou, China
Jingwei Chen, Xuzhou Institute of Agricultural Sciences, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Xuzhou, China
Xiaosi Zhou, Jiangsu Coastal Institute of Agricultural Sciences, Yancheng, 224002, Jiangsu Province, China
Chengling Zhang, Xuzhou Institute of Agricultural Sciences, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Xuzhou, China
Jukui Ma, Xuzhou Institute of Agricultural Sciences, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Xuzhou, China
Zhao Liang, Xuzhou Institute of Agricultural Sciences, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Xuzhou, China
Cong Tong, Xuzhou Institute of Agricultural Sciences, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Xuzhou, China
Yongwang Wu, Suzhou RainMed Medical Technology Co., Ltd, Suzhou, Liaoning Province, China
Hongxia Liu, Department of Plant Pathology, College of Plant Protection, Faculty of Plant Science, Nanjing Agricultural University, Nanjing, 210095, Jiangsu Province, China
Houjun Sun, Xuzhou Institute of Agricultural Sciences, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Xuzhou, China
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