Distribution and Identification of Endophytic Streptomyces Species from Schima wallichii as Potential Biocontrol Agents against Fungal Plant Pathogens.

The prospective of endophytic microorganisms allied with medicinal plants is disproportionally large compared to those in other biomes. The use of antagonistic microorganisms to control devastating fungal pathogens is an attractive and eco-friendly substitute for chemical pesticides. Many species of actinomycetes, especially the genus Streptomyces, are well known as biocontrol agents. We investigated the culturable community composition and biological control ability of endophytic Streptomyces sp. associated with an ethanobotanical plant Schima wallichi. A total of 22 actinobacterial strains were isolated from different organs of selected medicinal plants and screened for their biocontrol ability against seven fungal phytopathogens. Seven isolates showed significant inhibition activity against most of the selected pathogens. Their identification based on 16S rRNA gene sequence analysis, strongly indicated that all strains belonged to the genus Streptomyces. An endophytic strain BPSAC70 isolated from root tissues showed highest percentage of inhibition (98.3 %) against Fusarium culmorum with significant activity against other tested fungal pathogens. Phylogenetic analysis based on 16S rRNA gene sequences revealed that all seven strains shared 100 % similarity with the genus Streptomyces. In addition, the isolates were subjected to the amplification of antimicrobial genes encoding polyketide synthase type I (PKS-I) and nonribosomal peptide synthetase (NRPS) and found to be present in most of the potent strains. Our results identified some potential endophytic Streptomyces species having antagonistic activity against multiple fungal phytopathogens that could be used as an effective biocontrol agent against pathogenic fungi.