Abstract
Botrytis cinerea (Bc), a plant pathogenic fungus, causes
gray mold disease and rapidly develops resistance to fungicides in
cultivation areas. In this study, a gram-negative, soil-borne bacterial
colony was isolated and exposed to phenol vaporization for 2 days. The
colonies treated with phenol displayed restricted growth of Bc’s
spores. The highest antibiosis effect was further confirmed using agar
bioassays based on their ability to stably suppress pathogen growth. In
vitro assays with the colonies showed an 84% inhibition of pathogen
growth at 7 dpi using a one-layer agar diffusion test, and a 70%
inhibition using a double-layer agar diffusion test, compared to the
control plates. In vivo tests involving fruit inoculation,
bacterial suspension, and filtrate showed a significant suppression of
the pathogen’s mycelium growth at 11 and 14 dpi, compared to the control
group. The bacterial strain was identified as Serratia fonticola
(EBS19) through whole genome sequence analysis. Comparative genomic
analysis using the KEGG pathway database revealed genes encoding enzymes
that play a role in inhibiting pathogen growth by S. fonticola.
Additionally, BIOLOG analyses identified specific carbon sources
utilized by the bacterial strain. This information could be advantageous
for formulating an effective biopreparate composition, ensuring the
stability of the bacterial strain’s population. Computational studies
were conducted to model the interaction between the stress regulator
protein (BAG1) of the pathogen and the bacterial glycoside hydrolase
enzyme. The predictive modeling results could complement the unclear
property of bacterial glycoside hydrolase enzyme activity and its
inhibitory effect on the pathogen’s stress regulator protein.