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. 2019 Oct 18;11(10):606.
doi: 10.3390/toxins11100606.

The Mode of Action of Bacillus Species against Fusarium graminearum, Tools for Investigation, and Future Prospects

Khayalethu Ntushelo  1 , Lesiba Klaas Ledwaba  2   3 , Molemi Evelyn Rauwane  4 , Oluwafemi Ayodeji Adebo  5 , Patrick Berka Njobeh  6
Affiliations

The Mode of Action of Bacillus Species against Fusarium graminearum, Tools for Investigation, and Future Prospects

Khayalethu Ntushelo et al. Toxins (Basel). .

Abstract

Fusarium graminearum is a pervasive plant pathogenic fungal species. Biological control agents employ various strategies to weaken their targets, as shown by Bacillus species, which adopt various mechanisms, including the production of bioactive compounds, to inhibit the growth of F. graminearum. Various efforts to uncover the antagonistic mechanisms of Bacillus against F. graminearum have been undertaken and have yielded a plethora of data available in the current literature. This perspective article attempts to provide a unified record of these interesting findings. The authors provide background knowledge on the use of Bacillus as a biocontrol agent as well as details on techniques and tools for studying the antagonistic mechanism of Bacillus against F. graminearum. Emphasizing its potential as a future biological control agent with extensive use, the authors encourage future studies on Bacillus as a useful antagonist of F. graminearum and other plant pathogens. It is also recommended to take advantage of the newly invented analytical platforms for studying biochemical processes to understand the mechanism of action of Bacillus against plant pathogens in general.

Keywords: Bacillus; Fusarium graminearum; antagonism; mode of action.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare no conflict of interest.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Congener structures of the cyclic lipopeptides; surfactin, iturin A, and fengycin. source: [61].
Figure 2
Figure 2
Structure of WH1fungin; source: [72].
Figure 3
Figure 3
Graphical illustration of Fusarium graminearum cell disruption by Bacillus.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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