Publications by authors named "Zhivko Minchev"
Soil-borne microorganisms can impact leaf-chewing insect fitness by modifying plant nutrition and defence. Whether the altered insect performance is linked to changes in microbial partners of caterpillars remains unclear. We investigated the effects of root inoculation with soil bacteria or fungi on the gut bacterial community and biomass of the folivore Spodoptera exigua.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFVarious studies have addressed the impact of microbial inoculants on the composition of the resident microbiome. How microbial inoculants impact plant metabolism and interact with the resident rhizobiota under herbivory stress remains elusive. Here, we investigated the impact of two bacterial and two fungal inoculants, inoculated as single species and as a synthetic community, on the rhizosphere microbiome and volatilome of tomato plants (Solanum lycopersicum) comparing nonstress conditions to exposed to leaf herbivory by Spodoptera exigua.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFArticle Synopsis
- The study explores the use of beneficial microorganisms as an alternative to chemical pesticides in agriculture, focusing on the development of microbial consortia for improved disease control in plants.
- Researchers from Koppert Biological Systems designed mixed cultures of beneficial bacteria and fungi, testing their effectiveness against shoot and root pathogens in tomato plants.
- The findings revealed that these microbial consortia were more versatile than individual strains, successfully managing a broader range of plant diseases and providing similar protection levels as the best single microorganisms.
Article Synopsis
- - Oligogalacturonides (OGs) are fragments of pectin that plants release when they experience damage, like from insects or pathogens, and these fragments act as signals for the plant to activate its defense mechanisms.
- - Research on tomato plants showed that local responses to OGs are short-lived, while the defensive responses further away in the plant, especially in the roots, are stronger and last longer, even when OGs are applied to the leaves.
- - The study found that different hormones and secondary metabolites related to defense were produced in response to OGs, particularly in the roots, and confirmed that these responses help the plant resist infection from Botrytis cinerea.