title: Streptomycete spores entrapped in chitosan beads as a novel biocontrol tool against common scab of potato.
abstract: Spores of Streptomyces melanosporofaciens EF-76, an actinomycete that inhibits the growth of several plant pathogens, were incorporated in beads of chitosan and polyphosphate using the entrapment technique called complex coacervation. The degradation of spore-loaded beads was monitored by measuring the residual amount of chitosan in soil and by enumerating the S. melanosporofaciens population over time. After the introduction of spore-loaded chitosan beads into soil, the amount of chitosan in sterile soil remained at 1.550 mg/g throughout the first week and diminished to 0.101 mg/g after 7 weeks. Bead degradation proceeded faster in non-sterile soil but a progressive release of both chitosan oligomers and the antagonistic microbial agent was nevertheless observed. Application of these spore-loaded chitosan beads to seed potato tubers protected progeny tubers against common scab.
authors.affiliation: Département de Biologie, Centre d'étude et de Valorisation de la Diversité Microbienne, Faculté des Sciences, Université de Sherbrooke, Sherbrooke, Québec, Canada, J1K 2R1.
authors.forename: Guy
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Jobin
authors.forename: Geneviève
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Couture
authors.forename: Claudia
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Goyer
authors.forename: Ryszard
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Brzezinski
authors.forename: Carole
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Beaulieu
mesh_terms: D001673:Biodegradation, Environmental; D002245:Carbon Dioxide / Q000378:metabolism; D048271:Chitosan / Q000737:chemistry*; D005947:Glucose / Q000378:metabolism; D010935:Plant Diseases / Q000382:microbiology*; D012987:Soil; D011198:Solanum tuberosum / Q000382:microbiology*; D013171:Spores, Bacterial / Q000502:physiology; D013302:Streptomyces / Q000502:physiology*; D013997:Time Factors
chemical_list: D012987:Soil; D002245:Carbon Dioxide; D048271:Chitosan; D005947:Glucose