Background: Plant diseases caused by fungal pathogen result in a substantial economic impact on the global food and fruit industry. Application of organic fertilizers supplemented with biocontrol microorganisms (i.e. bioorganic fertilizers) has been shown to improve resistance against plant pathogens at least in part due to impacts on the structure and function of the resident soil microbiome. However, it remains unclear whether such improvements are driven by the specific action of microbial inoculants, microbial populations naturally resident to the organic fertilizer or the physical-chemical properties of the compost substrate. The aim of this study was to seek the ecological mechanisms involved in the disease suppressive activity of bio-organic fertilizers.
Results: To disentangle the mechanism of bio-organic fertilizer action, we conducted an experiment tracking Fusarium wilt disease of banana and changes in soil microbial communities over three growth seasons in response to the following four treatments: bio-organic fertilizer (containing Bacillus amyloliquefaciens W19), organic fertilizer, sterilized organic fertilizer and sterilized organic fertilizer supplemented with B. amyloliquefaciens W19. We found that sterilized bioorganic fertilizer to which Bacillus was re-inoculated provided a similar degree of disease suppression as the non-sterilized bioorganic fertilizer. We further observed that disease suppression in these treatments could be linked to impacts on the resident soil microbial communities, with noted increases in specific Pseudomonas spp.. The link between Bacillus amendment and indigenous Pseudomonas spp. was further examined using pot experiments and biofilm assays.
Conclusion: Together we demonstrate that the action of bioorganic fertilizer is a product of the biocontrol inoculum within the organic amendment and its impact on the resident soil microbiome. This knowledge should help in the design of more efficient biofertilizers designed to promote soil function.
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On 22 Sep, 2020
On 13 Jul, 2020
Received 12 Jul, 2020
Received 07 Jul, 2020
On 18 Jun, 2020
On 15 Jun, 2020
Invitations sent on 15 Jun, 2020
On 15 Jun, 2020
On 14 Jun, 2020
On 14 Jun, 2020
Posted 23 Mar, 2020
On 19 May, 2020
Received 16 May, 2020
On 19 Apr, 2020
Received 16 Apr, 2020
On 21 Mar, 2020
Invitations sent on 20 Mar, 2020
On 19 Mar, 2020
On 18 Mar, 2020
On 18 Mar, 2020
On 18 Mar, 2020
On 22 Sep, 2020
On 13 Jul, 2020
Received 12 Jul, 2020
Received 07 Jul, 2020
On 18 Jun, 2020
On 15 Jun, 2020
Invitations sent on 15 Jun, 2020
On 15 Jun, 2020
On 14 Jun, 2020
On 14 Jun, 2020
Posted 23 Mar, 2020
On 19 May, 2020
Received 16 May, 2020
On 19 Apr, 2020
Received 16 Apr, 2020
On 21 Mar, 2020
Invitations sent on 20 Mar, 2020
On 19 Mar, 2020
On 18 Mar, 2020
On 18 Mar, 2020
On 18 Mar, 2020
Background: Plant diseases caused by fungal pathogen result in a substantial economic impact on the global food and fruit industry. Application of organic fertilizers supplemented with biocontrol microorganisms (i.e. bioorganic fertilizers) has been shown to improve resistance against plant pathogens at least in part due to impacts on the structure and function of the resident soil microbiome. However, it remains unclear whether such improvements are driven by the specific action of microbial inoculants, microbial populations naturally resident to the organic fertilizer or the physical-chemical properties of the compost substrate. The aim of this study was to seek the ecological mechanisms involved in the disease suppressive activity of bio-organic fertilizers.
Results: To disentangle the mechanism of bio-organic fertilizer action, we conducted an experiment tracking Fusarium wilt disease of banana and changes in soil microbial communities over three growth seasons in response to the following four treatments: bio-organic fertilizer (containing Bacillus amyloliquefaciens W19), organic fertilizer, sterilized organic fertilizer and sterilized organic fertilizer supplemented with B. amyloliquefaciens W19. We found that sterilized bioorganic fertilizer to which Bacillus was re-inoculated provided a similar degree of disease suppression as the non-sterilized bioorganic fertilizer. We further observed that disease suppression in these treatments could be linked to impacts on the resident soil microbial communities, with noted increases in specific Pseudomonas spp.. The link between Bacillus amendment and indigenous Pseudomonas spp. was further examined using pot experiments and biofilm assays.
Conclusion: Together we demonstrate that the action of bioorganic fertilizer is a product of the biocontrol inoculum within the organic amendment and its impact on the resident soil microbiome. This knowledge should help in the design of more efficient biofertilizers designed to promote soil function.
Figure 1
Figure 2
Figure 3
Figure 4
Figure 5
Figure 6
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