title: Antifungal activity and enhancement of plant growth by Bacillus cereus grown on shellfish chitin wastes.
abstract: Bacillus cereus QQ308 produced antifungal hydrolytic enzymes, comprising chitinase, chitosanase and protease, when grown in a medium containing shrimp and crab shell powder (SCSP) produced from marine waste. The growth of the plant-pathogenic fungi Fusarium oxysporum, Fusarium solani, and Pythium ultimum were considerably affected by the presence of the QQ308 culture supernatant. The supernatant inhibited spore germination and germ tube elongation of F. oxysporum, F. solani, and P. ultimum. The increase in the growth time of the fungal culture was associated with a gradual decrease in inhibition. Besides antifungal activity, QQ308 enhanced growth of Chinese cabbage. These characteristics were unique among known strains of B. cereus. To our knowledge, this is the first report on the antifungal and Chinese cabbage growth enhancing compounds produced by B. cereus.
authors.affiliation: Department of Food Science and Technology, Tung Fang Institute of Technology, Kaohsiung, Taiwan. wing0715@pchome.com.tw
authors.forename: Wen-Teish
authors.initials: WT
authors.lastname: Chang
authors.forename: Yu-Chung
authors.initials: YC
authors.lastname: Chen
authors.forename: Chia-Ling
authors.initials: CL
authors.lastname: Jao
mesh_terms: D000935:Antifungal Agents / Q000494:pharmacology*; D001409:Bacillus cereus / Q000201:enzymology*; D002686:Chitin / Q000378:metabolism*; D002688:Chitinases / Q000494:pharmacology*; D006026:Glycoside Hydrolases / Q000494:pharmacology*; D010447:Peptide Hydrolases / Q000494:pharmacology*; D012758:Shellfish
chemical_list: D000935:Antifungal Agents; D002686:Chitin; D006026:Glycoside Hydrolases; C019868:chitosanase; D002688:Chitinases; D010447:Peptide Hydrolases