• Journal of Life Science
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• v.20 no.8
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• pp.1254-1260
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• 2010

Microorganisms near the plant rhizosphere usually inhabit the surface or the inside of the plant roots and have a direct effect on plant growth by secreting plant growth promoters or antagonistic materials which protect the root zone system from various pathogens. This study was carried out to identify and isolate the antagonistic materials after isolation of microorganisms showing high antagonistic activities, in hopes of contributing to the development of sustainable agriculture and the preservation of agricultural environments. A number of antagonistic bacteria were isolated from paddy soil. Among isolates, RRj 228 showed plant growth promotion and antagonistic activity. RRj 228 was identified as Pseudomonas sp. according to the results of physiological properties and genetic methods. On the basis of the results of anti-fungal spectrum against several pathogens by RRj 228, the antagonistic effect of the isolate against Botrytis cinerea, Pythium ultimum, Phytopthola capsici, and Rhizoctonia solani, especially against red-pepper anthracnose caused by Colletotrichum acutatum, was remarkable. The experiment evaluating the biological control effect by RRj 228 revealed that the $ED_{50}$ value by the RRj 228 culture against C. acutatum, R. solani and P. ultimum were 0.14 mg/ml, 0.16 mg/ml and 0.29 mg/ml, respectively. An antagonistic substance was isolated and purified by several chromatographies from the RRj 228 culture. The $^1H$ and $^{13}C$ assignment of the antagonistic substance was achieved from two-dimensional $^1H-^1H$ COSY, HMQC, and HMBC. Finally, the antagonistic substance was identified as Phenazine-1-carboxylic acid ($C_{13}H_8N_2O_2$, M.W.=224).

• Journal of Life Science
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• v.25 no.12
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• pp.1408-1414
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• 2015

In this study, to retain a stable bacterial inoculant, Bacillus strains showing antifungal activity were screened. The improved production, antifungal mechanism, and stability of the antifungal metabolite by a selected strain, AF4, a potent antagonist against phytopathogenic Botrytis cinerea, were also investigated. The AF4 strain was isolated from rhizospheric soil of hot pepper and identified as Bacillus subtilis by phenotypic characters and 16S rRNA gene analysis. Strain AF4 did not produce antifungal activity in the absence of a nitrogen source and produced antifungal activity at a broad range of temperatures (25-40℃) and pH (7-10). Optimal carbon and nitrogen sources for the production of antifungal activity were glycerol and casein, respectively. Under improved conditions, the maximum antifungal activity was 140±3 AU/ml, which was higher than in the basal medium. Photomicrographs of strain AF4-treated B. cinerea showed morphological abnormalities of fungal mycelia, demonstrating the role of the antifungal metabolite. The B. subtilis AF4 culture exhibited broad antifungal activity against several phytopathogenic fungi. The antifungal activity was heat-, pH-, solvent-, and protease-stable, indicating its nonproteinous nature. These results suggest that B. subtilis AF4 is a potential candidate for the control of phytopathogenic fungi-derived plant diseases.

• The Korean Journal of Mycology
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• v.20 no.4
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• pp.337-346
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• 1992

Trichoderma spp. are an effective control agent for damping-off or other plant diseases. The interaction between. T. hamatum and Rhizoctonia solani on the rhizosphere or surface soil were examined to assess the possible roles of antibiosis or competition in the mechanisms of biological control agents as a basic research. In a proportional comparison, total bacteria, fungi, actinomycetes and Trichoderma spp were 65%, 8.8%, 25.9% and 0.28% respectively in their distribution in the soil. Among Trichoderma spp isolated, the 5 species of Trichoderma spp were indentified as T. koninggii, T. pseudokoninggii, T. aureoviridi, T. hamatum and T. viride respectively. In a mycoparasitic test, one isolate of T. hamatum strain Tr-5 showed an enzymatic ability to break fungal hyphae into piecies and infected on the R. solani hyphae showing a parasitism. Spore germination of the all isolates of Trichoderma spp showed a 1.7-7.3% of germination in natural soil conditions, but the percentage was high in sterile soil indicating all the natural soil were fungistatic on conidia of Trichoderma spp. In rhizosphere competent assay in pea plant, the antagonistic T. hamatum, T. viride, T. koninggii, T. pseudokoninggii showed a colonizing upper soil depth in rhizosphere around 1-3 cm in root zone, but the colonizing ability was much reduced along the deeper the soil depth. Propagule density was decreased in deeper the soil layer. Disease development rate treated alone with plant pathogens, Fusarium solani, Rhizoctonia solani, Cylindrocarpon destructans increased, but disease incidence rate reduced in treatment with combinations with antagonistic T. hamatum strain Tr-5.

• Journal of Food Hygiene and Safety
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• v.35 no.5
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• pp.438-446
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• 2020

Meju and nuruk (respectively soybean and malt) are traditional Korean fermentation starters that are vulnerable to contamination by harmful microorganisms such as aflatoxigenic fungi and their associated aflatoxins (AFs). In this study, Aspergillus spp. were isolated and identified from a total of 57 meju and 18 nuruk samples collected from Korean markets. Their potential aflatoxigenicity was investigated by examining the presence of three aflatoxin biosynthetic genes (aflO, aflP, and aflR) using multiplex polymerase chain reaction (mPCR) assays. Thereafter, aflatoxin production of isolates and the natural occurrence of AFs in meju and nuruk samples were analyzed by high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC). A total of 177 Aspergillus isolates were identified and 130 isolates were obtained from meju samples. Of these, 25 isolates (19.2%) contained all three aflatoxin biosynthetic genes, and five (20%) of these isolates produced aflatoxins. Forty-seven of the Aspergillus isolates were obtained from nuruk samples, five of which (10.6%) expressed all three AF biosynthetic genes; however, none of these strains produced AFs. HPLC analysis showed that 88% (51/58) of the meju samples and 39% (7/18) of nuruk samples were not contaminated with AFs (below limit of detection). Among the isolates isolated from meju and nuruk, there were aflatoxigenic strains containing all three aflatoxin biosynthetic genes or producing aflatoxin in medium, but the frequency of aflatoxin contamination was low in the meju and nuruk samples.

• Research in Plant Disease
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• v.30 no.1
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• pp.66-77
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• 2024

Black wood ear mushroom (Auricularia auricula-judae) is one of the most economically important mushrooms in China, Japan, and Korea. The cultivation of wood ear mushrooms on artificial substrates is more efficient in terms of time and cost compared with their natural growth on trees. However, if the substrate cultivation is infected by fast-growing fungi, the relatively slow-growing ear mushroom will be outcompeted, leading to economic losses. In this study, we investigated the competitive fungal isolates from substrates infected with fast-growing fungi for the cultivation of ear mushrooms in Jangheung and Sunchon, Korea. We collected 54 isolates and identified them by sequencing their internal transcribed spacer region with morphological identification. Among the isolates, the dominant isolates were Trichoderma spp. (92.6%), Penicillium spp. (5.6%), and Talaromyces sp. (1.8%). To find an appropriate eco-friendly biocontrol agent, we used five Streptomyces spp. and Benomyl, as controls against Trichoderma spp. and Penicillium spp. Among the six Streptomyces spp., Streptomyces sp. JC203-3 effectively controlled the fungi Trichoderma spp. and Penicillium spp., which pose a significant problem for the substrates of black wood ear mushrooms. This result indicated that this Streptomyces sp. JC203-3 can be used as biocontrol agents to protect against Trichoderma and Penicillium spp.