Antifungal activity of various chitinolytic bacteria against colletotrichum in pepper

Abstract

Colletotrichum gleosporioides causes the anthracnose disease in plants including vegetables and fruits. The pathogenicity of the strains was confirmed by using pepper fruit inoculation assays. The chitinolytic bacterial strains Paenibacillus elgii HOA73, Lysobacter capsici HS124, Streptomyces griseus, Pseudomonas fluorescens, and Paenibacillus ehimensis MA2012 were evaluated against the phytopathogenic fungal strains. The bacteria significantly inhibited C. gleosporioides strain 40003, the inhibition ranging from 17% to 37%. Similarly, 5–41% inhibition of C. gleosporioides 40896 was noticed. Moreover, C. gleosporioides 40965 and 42113 were also inhibited. The n-butanol extracted crude compound of P. ehimensis MA2012 completely inhibited the spore germination of the phytopathogen. Hence the chitinolysis may be considered as an important trait for screening the biocontrol bacteria against anthracnose.