Authors:

Richmond Baptiste

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About Paper:

Ensuring the health and productivity of crops depends on understanding the intricate relationships between soil bacteria and plant pathogens. This study aims to investigate the inhibitory potential of soil bacteria against the destructive rice blast fungus Magnaporthe oryzae and uncover the mechanisms underlying this inhibition. Soil samples were collected from three separate agricultural rice fields located in the Everglades Agricultural Area in southern Florida. These fields contain nutrient-rich soil with 85% organic matter content. To ensure a representative sample, we randomly collected five soil cores, each covering approximately 0.5 square feet, from each field. Each soil sample was processed into a liquid suspension, serially diluted, and plated on selective media to isolate pure bacterial cultures. This process yielded a total of 150 bacterial isolates. To evaluate the potential of these bacterial isolates as biological control agents, we conducted antagonism assays to measure their inhibitory effects against M. oryzae. Initial tests focused on 136 out of the 157 bacterial isolates. The methodology involved the extraction of mycelia punches from the growing edges of M. oryzae. These punches were then cocultured with bacterial isolates, and fungal inhibition was measured after five days. Twelve out of the 136 bacterial isolates displayed antagonistic activity against M. oryzae in vitro. This comprehensive approach highlights the critical role of soil bacteria within the soil microbiome and their potential for biocontrol of plant pathogens. Our future directions include whole-genome sequencing and DNA mutagenesis to gain deeper insights into the inhibition mechanisms of soil bacteria on M. oryzae. Exploring soil bacteria in the Everglades

Source:

University of Florida / Richmond Baptiste, Timoty Johnson, Matthew / 2023

Topics:

No topics listed

Co-authors:

Richmond Baptiste