Embedding Bacillus velezensis NH-1 in microcapsules for biocontrol of cucumber Fusarium wilt

Abstract

Cucumber Fusarium wilt, caused by Fusarium oxysporum, is a devastating disease of cucumber and leads to enormous economic losses worldwide. The antagonistic bacterium Bacillus velezensis NH-1 suppresses F. oxysporum. For a higher biological control effect, control-released microcapsules of NH-1 were prepared using cell immobilization technology. NH-1 cells were embedded in combinations of the biodegradable wall materials sodium alginate, chitosan, and cassava-modified starch to prepare control-released microbiological microcapsules. For the preparation of alginate single-layer microcapsules, the highest embedding rate of 72.60% was obtained by applying 3% sodium alginate and 2% calcium chloride. After the application of monolayer alginate microcapsules in soil, the number of bacterial cells corresponded to a sustained release curve, and the survival rate of NH-1 was higher than the control in which soil was directly irrigated with NH-1 broth. The use of 0.8% chitosan (pH 3.0) and 0.5% cassava-modified starch in the preparation of double-layer and triple-layer microcapsules changed the performance of the microcapsules and increased the embedding rate. After dry storage for 65 days, the number of NH-1 cells was at the highest level in the monolayer microcapsules. In the field experiment, the control efficiency of alginate-coated monolayer microcapsules on Fusarium wilt was 100%, which was significantly higher than for the NH-1 culture and double-layer and triple-layer microcapsules. Collectively, sodium alginate is an ideal wall material for preparing slow-release bacterial microcapsules to control cucumber Fusarium wilt. Monolayer alginate microcapsules retard the release of B. velezensis NH-1 in soils and significantly improve its biocontrol efficiency on cucumber Fusarium wilt.