Isolation, Identification and Biocontrol Potential Evaluation of Bacterial Strain WL-34 Against Tomato Gray Mold

Key Points

• The aim is to isolate and characterize a bacterial strain with strong biocontrol potential against tomato gray mold, providing resources for developing new microbial fungicides.
• Isolated bacteria from soil in Tibetan Plateau agricultural facilities targeting Botrytis cinerea.
• Identified strain WL-34 via morphological, physiological, biochemical characteristics, and multi-locus phylogenetic analysis using 16S rDNA and gyrB genes.
• Conducted plate confrontation assays and fruit bioassays to assess the antagonistic effects and optimal growth conditions.
• Strain WL-34 identified as Bacillus safensis exhibited significant antagonism with an inhibition rate of 76% against Botrytis cinerea in confrontation assays.
• Microscopic observations revealed morphological changes in B. cinerea mycelium upon interaction with WL-34.
• In fruit bioassays, WL-34 effectively reduced disease lesion expansion by 64.71%, demonstrating its protective capabilities.

Abstract