Fermentation of Foc TR4-infected bananas and Trichoderma spp.
Fusarium wilt (also known as Panama disease) is one of the most destructive banana diseases, and greatly hampers the global production of bananas. Consequently, it has been very detrimental to the Chinese banana industry. An infected plant is one of the major causes of the spread of Fusarium wilt to nearby regions. It is essential to develop an efficient and environmentally sustainable disease control method to restrict the spread of Fusarium wilt. We isolated Trichoderma spp from the rhizosphere soil, roots, and pseudostems of banana plants that showed Fusarium wilt symptoms in the infected areas. Their cellulase activities were measured by endoglucanase activity, β-glucosidase activity, and filter paper activity assays. Safety analyses of the Trichoderma isolates were conducted by inoculating them into banana plantlets. The antagonistic effects of the Trichoderma spp on the Fusarium pathogen Foc tropical Race 4 (Foc TR4) were tested by the dual culture technique. Four isolates that had high cellulase activity, no observable pathogenicity to banana plants, and high antagonistic capability were identified. The isolates were used to biodegrade diseased banana plants infected with GFP-tagged Foc TR4, and the compost was tested for biological control of the infectious agent; the results showed that the fermentation suppressed the incidence of wilt and killed the pathogen. This study indicates that Trichoderma isolates have the potential to eliminate the transmission of Foc TR4, and may be developed into an environmentally sustainable treatment for controlling Fusarium wilt in banana plants.
The College of Life Science, South China Agricultural University, Guangzhou, China.
J
J
Yang
The College of Life Science, South China Agricultural University, Guangzhou, China.
B
B
Li
The College of Life Science, South China Agricultural University, Guangzhou, China.
S W
SW
Liu
Institution of Fruit Tree Research, Guangdong Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Guangzhou, China.|Key Laboratory of South Subtropical Fruit Biology and Genetic Resource Utilization, Ministry of Agriculture, Guangzhou, China.
M K
MK
Biswas
The College of Horticulture, Shenyang Agricultural University, Shenyang, China.
S
S
Liu
Institution of Fruit Tree Research, Guangdong Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Guangzhou, China.|Key Laboratory of South Subtropical Fruit Biology and Genetic Resource Utilization, Ministry of Agriculture, Guangzhou, China.
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YR
Wei
Institution of Fruit Tree Research, Guangdong Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Guangzhou, China.|Key Laboratory of South Subtropical Fruit Biology and Genetic Resource Utilization, Ministry of Agriculture, Guangzhou, China.
C W
CW
Zuo
Institution of Fruit Tree Research, Guangdong Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Guangzhou, China.|Key Laboratory of South Subtropical Fruit Biology and Genetic Resource Utilization, Ministry of Agriculture, Guangzhou, China.
G M
GM
Deng
Institution of Fruit Tree Research, Guangdong Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Guangzhou, China.|Key Laboratory of South Subtropical Fruit Biology and Genetic Resource Utilization, Ministry of Agriculture, Guangzhou, China.
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RB
Kuang
Institution of Fruit Tree Research, Guangdong Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Guangzhou, China.|Key Laboratory of South Subtropical Fruit Biology and Genetic Resource Utilization, Ministry of Agriculture, Guangzhou, China.
C H
CH
Hu
Institution of Fruit Tree Research, Guangdong Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Guangzhou, China yiganjun@vip.163.com.|Key Laboratory of South Subtropical Fruit Biology and Genetic Resource Utilization, Ministry of Agriculture, Guangzhou, China yiganjun@vip.163.com.
G J
GJ
Yi
Institution of Fruit Tree Research, Guangdong Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Guangzhou, China yiganjun@vip.163.com.|Key Laboratory of South Subtropical Fruit Biology and Genetic Resource Utilization, Ministry of Agriculture, Guangzhou, China yiganjun@vip.163.com.
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CY
Li
D001681:Biological Assay; D005285:Fermentation; D005670:Fusarium / Q000502:physiology*; D049452:Green Fluorescent Proteins / Q000378:metabolism; D028521:Musa / Q000382:microbiology*; D010802:Phylogeny; D010935:Plant Diseases / Q000382:microbiology*; D018515:Plant Leaves / Q000382:microbiology; D018547:Plant Stems / Q000382:microbiology; D014242:Trichoderma / Q000302:isolation & purification / Q000502:physiology*
D049452:Green Fluorescent Proteins