Bacterial endophytes inhabiting desert plants provide protection against seed rot caused by Fusarium verticillioides and promote growth in maize.

Background: Fusarium maize ear and root rot disease caused by Fusarium verticillioides has become one of the most serious fungal diseases associated with maize production. Due to their abilities to promote plant development and manage diseases, bacterial endophytes provide a more promising approach for treating this vascular disease.

Results: This work was undertaken for the selection and identification of promising isolates as plant growth promoters and biocontrol agents against F.

Synthesis of silver nanoparticles using Bacillus velezensis M3-7 lipopeptides: Enhanced antifungal activity and potential use as a biocontrol agent against Fusarium crown rot disease of wheat seedlings.

Bacillus velezensis M3-7 is a hyperactive mutant, 12-fold improved in its antifungal activity, obtained during a previous study from the wild strain BLB371 after a combination of random mutagenesis and medium component optimization. This study explores the use of this mutant in synthesizing silver nanoparticles (Ag-NPs) for the control of Fusarium crown rot disease (FCR) in wheat seedlings. LC-MS/MS analysis proved that both strains co-produced different families of lipopeptides and that mutagenesis caused the hyper-production of iturin A C14 and C15, the liberation of iturin A C10 and C12, and the inhibition of fengycin release.

Halobacteria-Based Biofertilizers: A Promising Alternative for Enhancing Soil Fertility and Crop Productivity under Biotic and Abiotic Stresses-A Review.

Abiotic and biotic stresses such as salt stress and fungal infections significantly affect plant growth and productivity, leading to reduced crop yield. Traditional methods of managing stress factors, such as developing resistant varieties, chemical fertilizers, and pesticides, have shown limited success in the presence of combined biotic and abiotic stress factors. Halotolerant bacteria found in saline environments have potential as plant promoters under stressful conditions.

Desirable traits for a good biocontrol agent against fire blight disease.

Aims: This study aimed to improve the screening strategy for the selection of biocontrol agents with high biocontrol efficacy against fire blight disease.

Methods And Results: A two-step screening procedure consisting of in-vitro laboratory tests and an ex-vivo test system using detached pear leaves was applied to 43 Bacillus strains originated from the rhizosphere and the aerial parts of apple and pear plants. The grouping of the studied strains and the tested traits based on the principal component analysis and the two-way hierarchical cluster analysis showed that siderophore production and biofilm formation are the most desirable traits in a Bacillus biocontrol agent to control fire blight disease and that rhizospheric originating strains are the most effective.

Thymol-enriched extract from Thymus vulgaris L leaves: Green extraction processes and antiaggregant effects on human platelets.

This work focuses on the selection and the optimization of an efficient green-extraction method, used to recover a thymol-enriched extract from thyme (Thymus vulgaris L), as well as the evaluation of the inhibitory effect of this latter on the human platelet aggregation. Different innovative extraction techniques, namely bead milling extraction, ultrasound and microwave assisted extraction, were tested for their ability to recover a high added value extract from thyme. Among all tested eco-extraction techniques, microwave extraction (MAE) was the best method in term of its extraction yield (20.

Optimization of BLB369 Culture Medium by Response Surface Methodology for Low Cost Production of Antifungal Activity.

BLB369 is an important plant growth-promoting bacterium, which produces antifungal compounds. A statistics-based experimental design was used to optimize a liquid culture medium using inexpensive substrates for increasing its antifungal activity. A Plackett-Burman design was first applied to elucidate medium components having significant effects on antifungal production.

Two Novel Strains ( and Species) with Promising Potential for the Biocontrol of , the Causal Agent of Septoria Tritici Blotch of Wheat.

Two novel Algerian field-collected isolates were selected for their antifungal activity against (teleomorph ). The novel strains, termed Alg.24B1 and Alg.

Endophytic halotolerant Bacillus velezensis FMH2 alleviates salt stress on tomato plants by improving plant growth and altering physiological and antioxidant responses.

Salinity stress has significant deleterious effects on agricultural lands and plant yields. Plants undergo a series of physiological and molecular changes to reduce salt-induced damage. However, these mechanisms remain insufficient.

Halotolerant Bacillus spizizenii FMH45 promoting growth, physiological, and antioxidant parameters of tomato plants exposed to salt stress.

Bacillus spizizenii is for the first time described as a plant growth salt-tolerant bacterium able to alleviate salt stress in crop plants by improving physiological parameters and antioxidant defense mechanisms. Agricultural soil salinization is a serious issue worldwide affecting agricultural yield. Plant growth promoting bacteria can enhance salt tolerance and plant yield.

Development of a cost-effective medium for Photorhabdus temperata bioinsecticide production from wastewater and exploration of performance kinetic.

This study investigates the optimization of the culture conditions for enhancing Photorhabdus temperata biopesticide production using wastewater (WS4) as a raw material. Box-Behnken design (BBD) was used to evaluate the effects of carbon to nitrogen ratio (C/N), sodium chloride concentration and inoculum size on P. temperata biomass production and insecticidal activity.

Biocontrol and plant growth-promoting potentiality of bacteria isolated from compost extract.

The use of compost extracts is steadily increasing, offering an attractive way for plant growth enhancement and disease management replacing chemical pesticides. In this study, potential mechanisms involved in plant growth promotion and suppressive activity against fungal diseases, of a compost extract produced from poultry manure/olive husk compost, were investigated. Results of physico-chemical and microbiological investigations showed high ability to reduce Fusarium oxysporum, Alternaria alternata, Aspergillus niger and Botrytis cinerea growth.

Acidic pretreatment as a chemical approach for enhanced Photorhabdus temperata bioinsecticide production from industrial wastewater.

The chemical treatment of the wastewater used for the bioinsecticide production by the bacterium Photorhabdus temperata was investigated in this study. An improvement of the volatile suspended solids (VSS) solubilization along with an increase in protein, carbohydrate, reducing sugar and nitrogen concentrations were demonstrated after alkali and thermo-alkali hydrolysis. In contrast, the application of acidic and thermo-acidic pretreatments reduced the organic matter hydrolysis.

Overproduction of Glucose Oxidase by CTM 507 Randomly Obtained Mutants and Study of Its Insecticidal Activity against .

In order to enhance the production of glucose oxidase (GOD), random mutagenesis of CTM 507 was performed using the chemical and physical mutagens: nitric acid and UV irradiation, respectively. The majority of the isolated mutants showed good GOD production, but only some mutants presented a significant overproduction, as compared with the parent strain. The selected mutants (19 strains), showing an overproduction larger than 200%, are quite stable after three successive subcultures.

Agrobacterium tumefaciens C58 presence affects Bacillus velezensis 32a ecological fitness in the tomato rhizosphere.

The persistence of pathogenic Agrobacterium strains as soil-associated saprophytes may cause an inconsistency in the efficacy of the biocontrol inoculants under field condition. The study of the interaction occurring in the rhizosphere between the beneficial and the pathogenic microbes is thus interesting for the development of effective biopesticides for the management of crown gall disease. However, very little is still known about the influence of these complex interactions on the biocontrol determinants of beneficial bacteria, especially Bacillus strains.

MgrB Inactivation Is Responsible for Acquired Resistance to Colistin in Enterobacter hormaechei subsp. .

Multidrug-resistant strains belonging to the complex (ECC) group, and especially those belonging to clusters C-III, C-IV, and C-VIII, have increasingly emerged as a leading cause of health care-associated infections, with colistin used as one of the last lines of treatment. However, colistin-resistant ECC strains have emerged. The aim of this study was to prove that MgrB, the negative regulator of the PhoP/PhoQ two-component regulatory system, is involved in colistin resistance in ECC of cluster C-VIII, formerly referred to as subsp.

Abiotic stress resistance, plant growth promotion and antifungal potential of halotolerant bacteria from a Tunisian solar saltern.

The uses of halotolerant bacteria isolated from naturally saline habitats have the potential to be useful crop protection agents for plants in stressful conditions. These beneficial microbes generate several plant growth regulators and bioactive molecules, which enhance plant protection from adversities, such as plant pathogens, salts and metals stresses. In this study, 15 halotolerant bacterial strains endowed with important antimicrobial activities were isolated from Sfax solar saltern (Tunisia).

L. Root Endophyte OEE1 Counteracts Oomycete and Fungal Harmful Pathogens and Harbours a Large Repertoire of Secreted and Volatile Metabolites and Beneficial Functional Genes.

Oomycete and fungal pathogens, mainly and species, are notorious causal agents of huge economic losses and environmental damages. For instance, , , and cause significant losses in nurseries and in forest ecosystems. Chemical treatments, while harmful to the environment and human health, have been proved to have little or no impact on these species.

Chemical Composition and Acaricidal Activity of the Essential Oils of Some Plant Species of and against the Vector of Tropical Bovine Theileriosis: (syn. ).

The present study aimed to investigate the acaricidal properties of six essential oils. They were extracted from some plant species ( and ) using the technique of hydrodistillation with the Clevenger apparatus. The chemical compositions of the essential oils under study were determined by gas chromatography-mass spectrometer (GC-MS).

Seasonal Variation in Essential Oils Composition and the Biological and Pharmaceutical Protective Effects of Leaves Grown in Tunisia.

This research assessed the seasonal variation of the chemical composition and antibacterial and anticholinesterase activities of essential oils extracted from leaves. The leaves organic fractions were also investigated for their biological activities and pharmacological functions. The essential oil highest yield was recorded in the spring season.

Molecular and structural characterization of a novel Cry1D toxin from Bacillus thuringiensis with high toxicity to Spodoptera littoralis (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae).

The investigation of new Bacillus thuringiensis (Bt) insecticidal proteins (Cry) with specific toxicity is one of the alternative measures used for Lepidopteran pest control. In the present study, a new Cry toxin was identified from a promising Bt strain BLB250 which was previously selected for its high toxicity against Spodoptera littoralis. The corresponding gene, designated cry1D-250, was cloned.

Emex spinosa (L.) Campd. ethyl acetate fractions effects on inflammation and oxidative stress markers in carrageenan induced paw oedema in mice.

Ethnopharmacological Relevance: Emex spinosa (L.) Campd. (E.

The combinatory effect of Cyt1Aa flexibility and specificity against dipteran larvae improves the toxicity of Bacillus thuringensis kurstaki toxins.

Cyt1A98 is a novel cytolytic protein, from BUPM98 Bacillus thuringiensis strain, characterized by its synergistic activity with B. thuringiensis kurstaki toxins against lepidopteran larvae. In this study, we evidenced that Cyt1A98 improves the toxicity of B.

Lipopeptides from Bacillus amyloliquefaciens strain 32a as promising biocontrol compounds against the plant pathogen Agrobacterium tumefaciens.

Despite the potential biological importance of lipopeptides from Bacillus amyloliquefaciens as antimicrobial compounds, their effects on Agrobacterium tumefaciens biofilms have not been previously studied. These latter are important virulence factors for the development and re-occurrence of crown gall disease. As part of the development of a new biopesticide acting as anti-biofilm and biocontrol agent, we investigated for the first time the ability of a mixture of lipopeptides produced by B.