Chen Yu-Hsuan, Sung Kuan-Yao, Tuan Shu-Jen, Huang Jenn-Wen, Lin Yi-Hsien, Huang Tzu-Pi
National Chung Hsing University, Plant Pathology, Taichung, Taiwan;
National Chung Hsing University, Master Program in Plant Medicine and Good Agricultural Practice, Taichung, Taichung City, Taiwan;
Plant Dis. 2025 Apr 8. doi: 10.1094/PDIS-01-25-0089-RE.
Passion fruit and its seedlings hold significant economic value for both domestic and export markets in Taiwan. Among the diseases affecting passion fruit, Phytophthora blight, caused by , severely impacts seedling survival and fruit production. This study aimed to develop a microbial agent to control Phytophthora blight by evaluating the potential of strain PES4, isolated from rhizosphere soils in Taiwan. Additionally, the impact of strain PES4 application on microbial communities in the field was investigated. Our results demonstrated that S. cavourensis PES4 exhibited strong antagonistic activity against several bacterial, fungal, and oomycete pathogens, including . Applying a 100-fold diluted culture broth of the strain PES4 significantly reduced the severity of Phytophthora blight on passion fruit leaves and fruits. Weekly applications of the strain PES4 throughout the growing season enhanced plant growth, yield, and fruit quality compared to the water control. Next-generation sequencing was used to analyze the influence of the strain PES4 application on the rhizosphere microbiome. The application of strain PES4 did not affect microbial richness or diversity but did alter the composition of bacterial and fungal communities. Specifically, the strain PES4 application reduced the relative abundances of Proteobacteria and Actinobacteria while increasing Acidobacteria, Verrucomicrobia, and Gemmatimonadetes at the phylum level. At the genus level, and populations increased. Regarding fungal communities, the strain PES4 application promoted the populations of and , while and populations declined. In conclusion, PES4 is a promising plant probiotic with both growth-promoting and biocontrol activities against Phytophthora blight in passion fruit. Its application can modulate the rhizosphere microbiome by enhancing beneficial bacterial and fungal populations and suppressing plant pathogenic ones, suggesting its potential as a sustainable biocontrol agent.
百香果及其幼苗对台湾的国内和出口市场都具有重要的经济价值。在影响百香果的病害中，由[病原体名称缺失]引起的疫霉疫病严重影响幼苗存活和果实产量。本研究旨在通过评估从台湾根际土壤中分离出的菌株PES4的潜力，开发一种控制疫霉疫病的微生物制剂。此外，还研究了菌株PES4的应用对田间微生物群落的影响。我们的结果表明，卡沃伦斯链霉菌PES4对几种细菌、真菌和卵菌病原体表现出强大的拮抗活性，包括[病原体名称缺失]。施用100倍稀释的菌株PES4培养液显著降低了百香果叶片和果实上疫霉疫病的严重程度。与用水对照相比，在整个生长季节每周施用菌株PES4可促进植株生长、提高产量和改善果实品质。利用下一代测序技术分析了菌株PES4的应用对根际微生物组的影响。菌株PES4的应用不影响微生物的丰富度或多样性，但确实改变了细菌和真菌群落的组成。具体而言，菌株PES4的应用降低了变形菌门和放线菌门的相对丰度，同时增加了酸杆菌门、疣微菌门和芽单胞菌门在门水平上的相对丰度。在属水平上，[属名称缺失]和[属名称缺失]种群增加。关于真菌群落，菌株PES4的应用促进了[属名称缺失]和[属名称缺失]种群的增长，而[属名称缺失]和[属名称缺失]种群减少。总之，卡沃伦斯链霉菌PES4是一种有前途的植物益生菌，对百香果疫霉疫病具有促生长和生物防治活性。其应用可以通过增加有益细菌和真菌种群并抑制植物病原菌来调节根际微生物组，表明其作为可持续生物防治剂的潜力。
