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Assessing the in vitro antagonistic potential of indigenous rhizosphere bacteria against Fusarium oxysporum, the pathogen causing fruit rot on lime (Citrus latifolia (Christm.) Swingle)
Abstract
This study was carried out to isolate and characterize rhizosphere bacterial strains with antagonistic activity against Fusarium spp., the causal agents of fruit rot in lime (Citrus latifolia (Christm.) Swingle) orchards in Can Tho City, Vietnam. A total of 20 rhizosphere soil samples and 20 diseased fruit samples were collected for pathogen and antagonist isolation. Fourteen Fusarium spp. isolates were obtained, of which ten were further evaluated for pathogenicity on lime fruits. Strains NBA7 and NBD1 produced typical fruit rot symptoms, with lesion diameters of 3.30 and 1.40 cm, respectively, at 240 h after inoculation, i.e. the pathogen was re-isolated from symptomatic tissues, satisfying Koch’s postulates. Based on morphological characteristics and ITS-region sequencing, isolates NBA7 and NBD1 were preliminarily identified as Fusarium oxysporum, showing 100% ITS sequence similarity to reference sequences in GenBank. Thirty-nine bacterial strains were isolated from the rhizosphere of lime, and five strains showing strong antagonistic activity against F. oxysporum NBA7 (37.3–45.2%) and NBD1 (34.5–63.8%) were selected. These strains were identified by 16S rDNA sequencing as Bacillus siamensis CT08 and KS03, Bacillus velezensis CT19, Bacillus aryabhattai CT11, and Bacillus amyloliquefaciens CT10. The selected strains produced chitinase (0.102–0.203 IU/mL), endo-β-1,3-glucanase (0.096–0.392 IU/mL), and exo-β-1,3-glucanase (0.150–0.413 IU/mL), and showed siderophore production ranging from 7.06% to 19.8%. These findings identify indigenous Bacillus strains with promising in vitro antagonistic traits and provide a basis for subsequent detached-fruit, greenhouse, and field validation.
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References
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DOI: 10.33687/ijpp.015.01.6002
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