title: Isolation and identification of marine chitinolytic bacteria and their potential in antifungal biocontrol.
abstract: Chitinolytic marine bacterial strains (30) were isolated from the sea dumps at Bhavnagar, India. They were screened as chitinase producers on the basis of zone of clearance on chitin agar plates incorporated with calcofluor white M2R for the better resolution. Out of these, three strains namely, Pseudomonas sp., Pantoea dispersa and Enterobacter amnigenus showed high chitinase production. They were also found to produce proteases and therefore have a good potential for use as antifungal biocontrol agents for the control of fungal plant pathogens. These strains could degrade and utilize the mycelia of Macrophomina phaseoliena (Tassi) Goidanich and Fusarium sp. In vitro, these strains could inhibit the growth of Fusarium sp. and M. phaseolina. The culture filtrate inhibiting hyphal elongation was observed microscopically.
authors.affiliation: Department of Microbiology and Biotechnology Centre, Faculty of Science, M S University of Baroda, Vadodara 390 002, India.
authors.forename: Vipul
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Gohel
authors.forename: Tejas
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Chaudhary
authors.forename: Pranav
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Vyas
authors.forename: H S
authors.initials: HS
authors.lastname: Chhatpar
mesh_terms: D001419:Bacteria / Q000201:enzymology; D001487:Basidiomycota / Q000254:growth & development*; D002686:Chitin / Q000378:metabolism*; D002688:Chitinases / Q000096:biosynthesis / Q000378:metabolism; D005670:Fusarium / Q000254:growth & development*; D006868:Hydrolysis; D008386:Marine Biology; D014871:Water Microbiology
chemical_list: D002686:Chitin; D002688:Chitinases