• Microbiology and Biotechnology Letters
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• v.35 no.3
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• pp.250-254
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• 2007

Bacillus thringiensis strain 108 was isolated from soil and had nematicidal activity against second stage juvenile of plant root-knot nematode, Meloidogyne incognita. The strain 108, a rod shape, spore forming and Gram positive bacterium, produced lecithinase, catalase, and ${\delta}$-endotoxin. The strain 108 belongs to H serotype 3, Bacillus thuringiensis var. kurstaki. A nematicidal substance of the strain 108 was partially purified on Sephadex G-25 gel filtration, activated carbon adsorption, silica gel adsorption, and Sephadex G-10 gel filtration. $LC_{90}$ of the partially purified substance against M incognita was $1.2\;{\mu}g/ml$. The nematicidal substance was stable by heat treatment at $100^{\circ}C$ for 1hr, but was perfectly lost nematicidal activity after autoclave ($110^{\circ}C$, 30 min).

• The Plant Pathology Journal
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• v.34 no.1
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• pp.35-43
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• 2018

Root-knot nematodes (Meloidogyne spp.) are parasites that attack many field crops and orchard trees, and affect both the quantity and quality of the products. A root-colonizing bacterium, Pseudomonas chlororaphis O6, possesses beneficial traits including strong nematicidal activity. To determine the molecular mechanisms involved in the nematicidal activity of P. chlororaphis O6, we constructed two mutants; one lacking hydrogen cyanide production, and a second lacking an insecticidal toxin, FitD. Root drenching with wild-type P. chlororaphis O6 cells caused juvenile mortality in vitro and in planta. Efficacy was not altered in the fitD mutant compared to the wild-type but was reduced in both bioassays for the mutant lacking hydrogen cyanide production. The reduced number of galls on tomato plants caused by the wild-type strain was comparable to that of a standard chemical nematicide. These findings suggest that hydrogen cyanide-producing root colonizers, such as P. chlororaphis O6, could be formulated as "green" nematicides that are compatible with many crops and offer agricultural sustainability.