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Microorganisms
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Growth-Promoting Microorganisms as Potential Biological Control Agents of Plant Pests...
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Growth-Promoting Microorganisms as Potential Biological Control Agents of Plant Pests and Diseases

A special issue of Microorganisms (ISSN 2076-2607). This special issue belongs to the section "Plant Microbe Interactions".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 15 January 2025 | Viewed by 9110

Special Issue Editors

Prof. Dr. Panagiotis A. Eliopoulos

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Lab of Plant Health Management, Department of Agrotechnology, University of Thessaly, 45100 Larissa, Greece
Interests: biological control of crop pests; IPM methods; insect–plant interactions; stored product pests; precision agriculture methods in crop protection
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Dr. Spiridon Mantzoukas

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Department of Agriculture, University of Ioannina, 47100 Arta, Greece
Interests: biological control; entomology; entomopathogenic fungi
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

There is growing evidence that many beneficial microorganisms, apart from their use as biological pesticides, can act as endophytes colonizing the tissues of certain plants. These endophytic species are non-disease-causing microbes surviving in the living tissues of plants, contributing to an array of plant growth benefits ranging from enhanced growth and biomass accumulation to tolerance to abiotic and biotic stresses and aiding in nutrient acquisition. The last couple of decades have witnessed a burgeoning literature on the role of endophytes in regulating plant growth and development and their adaptation to abiotic and biotic stresses. Though the underlying mechanisms of plant–endophyte interactions are far from clear, several studies have raised the hope of their potential application in agriculture, mainly in improving nutrient acquisition and plant growth but also in mitigating pest and disease infestation in numerous economic crops. The use of endophytes is envisaged as a route to reduce the production cost and burden on the environment by lessening the dependence on agrochemicals. In this Special Issue, we welcome original research as well as review articles on this topic presenting the multiple effects of endophytes on plants growth, pest control and disease management.

Prof. Dr. Panagiotis A. Eliopoulos
Dr. Spiridon Mantzoukas
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Microorganisms is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2700 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • endophytes
  • biological control
  • plant pests
  • plant diseases
  • plant growth

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Published Papers (4 papers)

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Research

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16 pages, 7027 KiB  
Article
Sphingomonas sediminicola Dae20 Is a Highly Promising Beneficial Bacteria for Crop Biostimulation Due to Its Positive Effects on Plant Growth and Development
by Candice Mazoyon, Manuella Catterou, Abdelrahman Alahmad, Gaëlle Mongelard, Stéphanie Guénin, Vivien Sarazin, Fréderic Dubois and Jérôme Duclercq
Microorganisms 2023, 11(8), 2061; https://doi.org/10.3390/microorganisms11082061 - 11 Aug 2023
Cited by 8 | Viewed by 1772
Abstract
Current agricultural practices rely heavily on synthetic fertilizers, which not only consume a lot of energy but also disrupt the ecological balance. The overuse of synthetic fertilizers has led to soil degradation. In a more sustainable approach, alternative methods based on biological interactions, [...] Read more.
Current agricultural practices rely heavily on synthetic fertilizers, which not only consume a lot of energy but also disrupt the ecological balance. The overuse of synthetic fertilizers has led to soil degradation. In a more sustainable approach, alternative methods based on biological interactions, such as plant growth-promoting bacteria (PGPRs), are being explored. PGPRs, which include both symbiotic and free-living bacteria, form mutualistic relationships with plants by enhancing nutrient availability, producing growth regulators, and regulating stress responses. This study investigated the potential of Sphingomonas sediminicola Dae20, an α-Proteobacteria species commonly found in the rhizosphere, as a beneficial PGPR. We observed that S. sediminicola Dae20 stimulated the root system and growth of three different plant species in the Brassicaceae family, including Arabidopsis thaliana, mustard, and rapeseed. The bacterium produced auxin, nitric oxide, siderophores and showed ACC deaminase activity. In addition to activating an auxin response in the plant, S. sediminicola Dae20 exhibited the ability to modulate other plant hormones, such as abscisic acid, jasmonic acid and salicylic acid, which are critical for plant development and defense responses. This study highlights the multifunctional properties of S. sediminicola Dae20 as a promising PGPR and underscores the importance of identifying effective and versatile beneficial bacteria to improve plant nutrition and promote sustainable agricultural practices. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Growth-Promoting Microorganisms as Potential Biological Control Agents of Plant Pests and Diseases)
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13 pages, 2158 KiB  
Article
Biostimulant and Bioinsecticidal Effect of Coating Cotton Seeds with Endophytic Beauveria bassiana in Semi-Field Conditions
by Spiridon Mantzoukas, Vasileios Papantzikos, Spiridoula Katsogiannou, Areti Papanikou, Charalampos Koukidis, Dimitrios Servis, Panagiotis Eliopoulos and George Patakioutas
Microorganisms 2023, 11(8), 2050; https://doi.org/10.3390/microorganisms11082050 - 9 Aug 2023
Cited by 2 | Viewed by 1883
Abstract
Increasing commercial demands from the textile and food industries are putting strong pressure on the cultivation of cotton and its derivatives to produce high yields. At the same time, cotton has high nutrient and irrigation requirements and is highly susceptible to insect pests. [...] Read more.
Increasing commercial demands from the textile and food industries are putting strong pressure on the cultivation of cotton and its derivatives to produce high yields. At the same time, cotton has high nutrient and irrigation requirements and is highly susceptible to insect pests. Coating cotton seeds with beneficial fungi could address these problems. The aim of this study was to investigate the growth of cotton using (A) conventional seeds and (B) seeds coated with the entomopathogenic fungus Beauveria bassiana (Hypocreales: Cordycipitaceae). The experiment was conducted in a greenhouse of the Department of Agriculture of the University of Ioannina, in a completely randomized design. The growth characteristics of cotton plants were recorded weekly while the fresh weight and dry matter of the leaves, shoots and roots of the developed cotton plants were calculated at the end of the experiment. Weekly determination of total chlorophyll content (TCHL) was used as an indicator of plant robustness during the 80-day experiment. Many cotton growth parameters of treated plants, like number of leaves, shoots and apical buds, plant height, stem diameter, fresh and dried biomass and TCHL, were significantly higher than those of the untreated ones. Apart from plant growth, naturally occurring by Aphis gossypii (Hemiptera: Aphididae) infestation which also monitored for six weeks. A significantly lower aphid population was recorded for inoculated plants after the fifth week compared to the control. The overall evaluation revealed that B. bassiana coating treatments appear to have a significant biostimulatory and bioinsecticidal effect. Our results could represent responsive applications to the demands of intensive cotton growing conditions. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Growth-Promoting Microorganisms as Potential Biological Control Agents of Plant Pests and Diseases)
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14 pages, 3011 KiB  
Article
Isolation and Evaluation of the Antagonistic Activity of Cnidium officinale Rhizosphere Bacteria against Phytopathogenic fungi (Fusarium solani)
by Seok Hui Lee, Su Hong Jeon, Jun Young Park, Dae Sol Kim, Ji Ah Kim, Hui Yeong Jeong and Jun Won Kang
Microorganisms 2023, 11(6), 1555; https://doi.org/10.3390/microorganisms11061555 - 11 Jun 2023
Cited by 2 | Viewed by 2345
Abstract
Cnidium officinale Makino, a perennial crop in the Umbeliperae family, is one of Korea’s representative forest medicinal plants. However, the growing area of C. officinale has been reduced by plant disease and soil sickness caused by fusarium wilt. This study isolated rhizosphere [...] Read more.
Cnidium officinale Makino, a perennial crop in the Umbeliperae family, is one of Korea’s representative forest medicinal plants. However, the growing area of C. officinale has been reduced by plant disease and soil sickness caused by fusarium wilt. This study isolated rhizosphere bacteria from C. officinale, and their antagonistic activity was evaluated against Fusarium solani. Particularly, four isolated strains, namely, PT1, ST7, ST8, and SP4, showed a significant antagonistic activity against F. solani. An in planta test showed that the mortality rates of shoots were significantly low in the PT1-inoculated group. The fresh and dry weights of the inoculated plants were also higher than that of the other groups. The 16S rRNA gene sequencing identified the strain PT1 as Leclercia adecarboxylata, and downstream studies confirmed the production of antagonism-related enzymes such as siderophore and N-acetyl-β-glucosaminidase. The phosphorous solubilizing ability and secretion of related enzymes were also analyzed. The results showed that PT1 strain could be utilized as promising plant growth-promoting rhizobacteria (PGPR) and biocontrol agents (BCAs). Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Growth-Promoting Microorganisms as Potential Biological Control Agents of Plant Pests and Diseases)
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Review

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21 pages, 2469 KiB  
Review
Role of Plant-Growth-Promoting Rhizobacteria in Plant Machinery for Soil Heavy Metal Detoxification
by Haichen Qin, Zixiao Wang, Wenya Sha, Shuhong Song, Fenju Qin and Wenchao Zhang
Microorganisms 2024, 12(4), 700; https://doi.org/10.3390/microorganisms12040700 - 29 Mar 2024
Cited by 10 | Viewed by 2144
Abstract
Heavy metals migrate easily and are difficult to degrade in the soil environment, which causes serious harm to the ecological environment and human health. Thus, soil heavy metal pollution has become one of the main environmental issues of global concern. Plant-growth-promoting rhizobacteria (PGPR) [...] Read more.
Heavy metals migrate easily and are difficult to degrade in the soil environment, which causes serious harm to the ecological environment and human health. Thus, soil heavy metal pollution has become one of the main environmental issues of global concern. Plant-growth-promoting rhizobacteria (PGPR) is a kind of microorganism that grows around the rhizosphere and can promote plant growth and increase crop yield. PGPR can change the bioavailability of heavy metals in the rhizosphere microenvironment, increase heavy metal uptake by phytoremediation plants, and enhance the phytoremediation efficiency of heavy-metal-contaminated soils. In recent years, the number of studies on the phytoremediation efficiency of heavy-metal-contaminated soil enhanced by PGPR has increased rapidly. This paper systematically reviews the mechanisms of PGPR that promote plant growth (including nitrogen fixation, phosphorus solubilization, potassium solubilization, iron solubilization, and plant hormone secretion) and the mechanisms of PGPR that enhance plant–heavy metal interactions (including chelation, the induction of systemic resistance, and the improvement of bioavailability). Future research on PGPR should address the challenges in heavy metal removal by PGPR-assisted phytoremediation. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Growth-Promoting Microorganisms as Potential Biological Control Agents of Plant Pests and Diseases)
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