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Suppression of disease in tomato infected by Pythium ultimum with a biosurfactant produced by Pseudomonas koreensis

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Abstract

The use of biosurfactants is a promising alternative in biological control of zoospore-producing oomycetes, which are a major plant pathogen world-wide in a wide variety of crops. Oomycetes are of particular concern in closed hydroponic cultivation systems. The present study investigated the efficacy of a biosurfactant produced by Pseudomonas koreensis and added as a crude extract against the oomycete Pythium ultimum in hydroponic tomato cultivation. A significant reduction in disease was observed. Biosurfactant addition did not affect the indigenous root microflora when evaluated as sole carbon source utilisation. Chemical analysis, using electrospray hybrid mass spectrometry (ESI-MSMS), of the biosurfactant indicated it to be lokisin, a cyclic lipopeptide. These results confirm that biosurfactants are important in developing sustainable biological control strategies for oomycetes.

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Acknowledgments

This study was supported by a grant from the Swedish Research Council for Environment, Agricultural Sciences and Spatial Planning (FORMAS). We are grateful to Dr. J.M. Raaijmakers for his help in the initial work concerning the chemical identification of the biosurfactant. We also wish to thank Dr. T.K. Klasson for his help with data analysis.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Horticulture, Microbial Horticultural Laboratory, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences, P.O. Box 103, 230 53, Alnarp, Sweden

    M. Hultberg, S. Khalil & B. Alsanius

  2. Department of Applied Environmental Science, Stockholm University, Stockholm, Sweden

    T. Alsberg

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  1. M. Hultberg
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  2. T. Alsberg
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  3. S. Khalil
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  4. B. Alsanius
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Correspondence to M. Hultberg.

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Handling Editor: Monica Höfte.

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Hultberg, M., Alsberg, T., Khalil, S. et al. Suppression of disease in tomato infected by Pythium ultimum with a biosurfactant produced by Pseudomonas koreensis . BioControl 55, 435–444 (2010). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10526-009-9261-6

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10526-009-9261-6

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