Paenibacillus terrae AY-38 resistance against Botrytis cinerea in Solanum lycopersicum L. plants through defence hormones regulation

• Main Authors: Ah-Young Kim, Raheem Shahzad, Sang-Mo Kang, Abdul Latif Khan, Seok-min Lee, Yeon-Gyeong Park, Won-Hee Lee, In-Jung Lee
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Published: Taylor & Francis Group 2017-01-01
• Series: Journal of Plant Interactions
• Subjects: PGPR; growth promotion; biocontrol; jasmonic acid; salicylic acid
• Online Access: http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/17429145.2017.1319502
• ISSN: 1742-9145; 1742-9153

This study aims to investigate the role of Paenibacillus terrae AY-38 to produce bioactive metabolites and to counteract pathogenic infections caused by B. cinerea. The pure culture of P. terrae (AY-38) showed the secretion of significant amount of IAA (indole-3-acetic acid) (109.57 ± 3.2 µg mL−1). The AY-38 strain also produced siderophore and glucanase, while in the in vitro test, it showed significant antagonism to Botrytis cinerea. In the in vivo plant experiment, the sole application of AY-38 significantly improved plant growth (plant height and leaf area), while in B. cinerea infected plants, AY-38 inoculation not only decreased the disease incidence on leaves and fruits but also reprogramed the plants for higher growth. AY-38 treatments promoted and rescued plant growth by modulating the defence responses of endogenous hormones, such as jasmonic and salicylic acids. Our findings concluded that P. terrae possesses great potential as a possible biocontrol agent against B. cinerea-induced pathogenic infections.