In vitro potential of Paenibacillus alvei DZ-3 as a biocontrol agent against several phytopathogenic fungi

Abstract

Fungal phytopathogens cause significant losses in many economically important crops and vegetables. One way to control these devastating pathogens is using higher doses of fungicides that not only increase the cost of production but also cause significant damage to the environment. Consequently, there is an increasing demand from consumers and officials to reduce the use of chemical pesticides. In this context, biological control through the use of natural antagonistic microorganisms has emerged as a promising alternative. The goal of this paper is to evaluate environmentally-friendly treatment for in vitro control of some fungal phytopathogens. In the present study, the bacterial strain DZ-3, which shows strong antifungal activity, was isolated from the samples of rotten apple compost from the composting plant in Resen, Macedonia, and identified as Paenibacillus alvei according to morphological and taxonomic characteristics and 16S rRNA gene sequence analysis. As test microorganisms, we used Botrytis cinerea FNSFCC 23, Fusarium oxysporum FNS- FCC 103, Plasmopara viticola FNS- FCC 65, Alternaria alternata FNS- FCC 624, but also Aspergilus ochraceus FNS- FCC 46, Aspergilus niger FNS- FCC 142, and Penicillium commune FNS- FCC 864. The effect of Paenibacillus alvei DZ-3 on growth of the tested fungi was evaluated by the dual culture technique and disc diffusion method. Clear inhibition zones were observed in all test microorganisms. The above-described results indicate that Paenibacillus alvei DZ-3 may have the potential as a biocontrol agent to control various phytopathogenic fungi.