Bacterial ghost technology for pesticide delivery.
Bacterial ghosts are nondenaturated empty cell envelopes of Gram-negative bacteria produced by E-mediated lysis. Such envelopes from the plant-adhering bacterium Pectobacterium cypripedii were tested for their ability to adhere to plant material and to be used as carriers for pesticide delivery. We show, using fluorescence-labeled P. cypripedii ghosts, that depending on the target plants 55 or 10% (rice or soya, respectively) of the applied bacterial ghosts was retained on the leaves after heavy simulated rain (84 mm). Furthermore, the bacterial ghosts could be loaded with the lipophilic triazole fungicide tebuconazole. In subsequent plant experiments in the glass house, the efficacy of the loaded bacterial ghost for resistance to rainfall and the protective and curative effects against the pathogens Erysiphe graminis, Leptosphaeria nodorum, and Pyrenophora teres on barley and wheat and against Sphaerotheca fuliginea on cucumber were tested. The bacterial ghosts were compared primarily with a commercial tebuconazole formulation, a wettable powder, as it has similar physical characteristics. The comparison revealed similar effects and showed consistently higher or comparable efficacy against the pathogens. The standard operational comparison with the most protective, cereal specific emulsion of oil in water displayed that the bacterial ghosts had equal to or lower efficacy than the emulsion. This study confirmed the potential of bacterial ghost platform technology as a new alternative carrier system for pesticides.
Hatfaludi
Tamás
T
Institute for Microbiology and Genetics, Section Microbiology and Biotechnology, University of Vienna, UZAII 2B522 Althanstrasse 14, A-1090 Vienna, Austria. tamas.hatfaludi@univie.ac.at
Liska
Martina
M
Zellinger
Daniela
D
Ousman
Jarju Pa
JP
Szostak
Michael
M
Ambrus
Arpád
A
Jalava
Katri
K
Lubitz
Werner
W
D001419:Bacteria / Q000648:ultrastructure*; D001422:Bacterial Adhesion; D002462:Cell Membrane; D004337:Drug Carriers; D016650:Fluorescein-5-isothiocyanate; D005456:Fluorescent Dyes; D044043:Pectobacterium / Q000648:ultrastructure; D010575:Pesticides; D018515:Plant Leaves; D010944:Plants / Q000187:drug effects; D014230:Triazoles / Q000008:administration & dosage
D004337:Drug Carriers; D005456:Fluorescent Dyes; D010575:Pesticides; D014230:Triazoles; C087114:tebuconazole; D016650:Fluorescein-5-isothiocyanate