Exploring the impact of cyclic lipopeptides from <i>Bacillus subtilis</i> NBAIR-BSWG1 through <i>in vitro</i> and <i>in planta</i>, studies against <i>Sclerotium rolfsii</i>
K. S. Ankitha, T. Radha, S. Ruqiya, Aditya Kukreti, N. Aarthi, S. Nanditha, R. Rangeshwaran, A. Kandan, G. Sivakumar, A. N. Shylesha, H. C. Girisha, K. Veera Venkata Nagaraju, T. Venkatesan, S. N. Sushil, C. Manjunatha
Abstract
Bacillus subtilis is a Gram-positive bacterium known for its antagonistic attributes, particularly through the production of various secondary metabolites, including lipopeptides. In this study, we investigated the antagonistic capabilities of B. subtilis strain NBAIR-BSWG1 with a focus on assessing the efficacy of NBAIR-BSWG1 in combatting Sclerotium rolfsii. Our findings demonstrated substantial inhibitory effects, with 82.73% to 100% reduction in S. rolfsii growth when exposed to NBAIR-BSWG1 at concentrations ranging from 50 to 100 µL/mL in poison food technique. In dual culture assay, NBAIR-BSWG1 exhibited a significant 55.50% inhibition of S. rolfsii. Moreover, pot experiments revealed a promising 26% reduction in disease incidence. This study underscores the significant role of NBAIR-BSWG1 in controlling S. rolfsii, holding substantial potential for developing effective formulations aimed at mitigating the southern blight of tomatoes.