Abstract
The cactus pear (Opuntia spp.) is a crop of major economic and ecological importance in arid and semi-arid regions. However, with its domestication and intensification, symptoms of fungal diseases have begun to emerge in different cultivation areas. This study was conducted to identify the pathogenic fungi associated with symptoms observed on cladodes in different regions of Morocco and to evaluate the effectiveness of bacterial and fungal antagonists. The study enabled the isolation and identification of several fungal agents from symptomatic cladodes, namely Alternaria alternata, Alternaria tenuissima, Colletotrichum gloeosporioides, and Aspergillus tubingensis. Among these pathogens, A. alternata proved to be the most aggressive and was therefore selected for in vitro and in vivo antagonism assays. Twelve bacterial isolates belonging to the genera Bacillus and Pseudomonas, as well as one isolate of Trichoderma harzianum, were evaluated for their antifungal activity. All antagonists showed significant inhibitory effects against A. alternata in vitro preliminary assay. However, the bacterial isolates B. siamensis, B. halotolerans, and P. peli, as well as T. harzianum, exhibited the highest efficacy. This efficacy was confirmed through direct confrontation tests in vivo on one-year-old cladodes for the three bacterial isolates. In contrast, T. harzianum showed significant pathogenic potential on cladodes of O. ficus-indica and O. megacantha. Investigation of the mechanisms of action of the three most effective bacterial isolates revealed their ability to produce antifungal volatile organic compounds. Enzymatic analyses showed differential production of amylase, chitinase, cellulase and protease among the three isolates, while genes associated with the biosynthesis of antifungal lipopeptides were detected only in P. peli.
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Claims 11
Claim · model-written summary
Alternaria alternata, Alternaria tenuissima and Colletotrichum gloeosporioides were isolated from symptomatic cactus pear cladodes.
- Organ / stage
- symptomatic cladodese2
- Interactor
- Alternaria alternata
.jpg?width=60)
Alternaria alternatae2pathogen - Outcome
- fungal agentse2
- Qualifier
- Alternaria tenuissima, Colletotrichum gloeosporioidese2
OpuntiaOrganisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
.jpg?width=500)
Verbatim
e1“The cactus pear (Opuntia spp.) is a crop of major economic and ecological importance in arid and semi-arid regions”
e2“The study enabled the isolation and identification of several fungal agents from symptomatic cladodes, namely Alternaria alternata, Alternaria tenuissima, Colletotrichum gloeosporioides, and Aspergillus tubingensis”
Claim · model-written summary
Aspergillus tubingensis was isolated from symptomatic cactus pear cladodes.
- Organ / stage
- symptomatic cladodese2
- Interactor
- Aspergillus tubingensis
Aspergillus tubingensise2pathogen - Outcome
- fungal agentse2
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e1“The cactus pear (Opuntia spp.) is a crop of major economic and ecological importance in arid and semi-arid regions”
e2“The study enabled the isolation and identification of several fungal agents from symptomatic cladodes, namely Alternaria alternata, Alternaria tenuissima, Colletotrichum gloeosporioides, and Aspergillus tubingensis”
Claim · model-written summary
Alternaria alternata was the most aggressive of the isolated pathogens and was selected for antagonism assays.
- Interactor
- A. alternataAlternaria alternatae3pathogen
- Outcome
- aggressivee3
- Direction
- most aggressivee3
- Comparator
- these pathogense3
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e1“The cactus pear (Opuntia spp.) is a crop of major economic and ecological importance in arid and semi-arid regions”
e3“Among these pathogens, A. alternata proved to be the most aggressive and was therefore selected for in vitro and in vivo antagonism assays”
Claim · model-written summary
All antagonists showed significant inhibitory effects against Alternaria alternata in vitro.
- Treatment
- antagonistse4
- Interactor
- A. alternataAlternaria alternatae4pathogen
- Outcome
- inhibitory effects against A. alternatae4
- Direction
- inhibitorye4
- Setting
- in vitroe4
Not reportedComparator
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e1“The cactus pear (Opuntia spp.) is a crop of major economic and ecological importance in arid and semi-arid regions”
e4“All antagonists showed significant inhibitory effects against A. alternata in vitro preliminary assay”
Claim · model-written summary
Bacterial isolates B. siamensis, B. halotolerans and P. peli, and Trichoderma harzianum, showed the highest antagonist efficacy.
- Treatment
- bacterial isolatese5
- Interactor
- B. siamensis, B. halotolerans, and P. peliBacillus halotoleransPseudomonas peliBacillus siamensise5biocontrol_agent
- Outcome
- efficacye5
- Direction
- higheste5
- Qualifier
- as well as T. harzianume5
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e1“The cactus pear (Opuntia spp.) is a crop of major economic and ecological importance in arid and semi-arid regions”
e5“However, the bacterial isolates B. siamensis, B. halotolerans, and P. peli, as well as T. harzianum, exhibited the highest efficacy”
Claim · model-written summary
The efficacy of the three most effective bacterial isolates was confirmed in vivo on one-year-old cladodes.
- Organ / stage
- one-year-old cladodese6
- Treatment
- direct confrontation testse6
- Outcome
- efficacye6
- Setting
- in vivoe6
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e1“The cactus pear (Opuntia spp.) is a crop of major economic and ecological importance in arid and semi-arid regions”
e6“This efficacy was confirmed through direct confrontation tests in vivo on one-year-old cladodes for the three bacterial isolates”
Claim · model-written summary
Trichoderma harzianum showed significant pathogenic potential on cladodes of O. ficus-indica and O. megacantha.
- Taxon
- O. ficus-indica
_Gaziantep_Turkey.IMG_1104.jpg?width=60)
Opuntia ficus-indicae7 - Organ / stage
- cladodese7
- Interactor
- T. harzianum
Trichoderma harzianume7pathogen - Outcome
- pathogenic potentiale7
- Qualifier
- O. megacanthae7
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
_Gaziantep_Turkey.IMG_1104.jpg?width=500)
Verbatim
e1“The cactus pear (Opuntia spp.) is a crop of major economic and ecological importance in arid and semi-arid regions”
e7“In contrast, T. harzianum showed significant pathogenic potential on cladodes of O. ficus-indica and O. megacantha”
Claim · model-written summary
The three most effective bacterial isolates produced antifungal volatile organic compounds.
- Compound
- volatile organic compoundse0
- Outcome
- ability to produce antifungal volatile organic compoundse0
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e1“The cactus pear (Opuntia spp.) is a crop of major economic and ecological importance in arid and semi-arid regions”
e0“Investigation of the mechanisms of action of the three most effective bacterial isolates revealed their ability to produce antifungal volatile organic compounds”
Claim · model-written summary
Amylase, chitinase and cellulase production differed among the three most effective isolates.
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e1“The cactus pear (Opuntia spp.) is a crop of major economic and ecological importance in arid and semi-arid regions”
e3“Enzymatic analyses showed differential production of amylase, chitinase, cellulase and protease among the three isolates”
Claim · model-written summary
Protease production differed among the three most effective isolates.
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e1“The cactus pear (Opuntia spp.) is a crop of major economic and ecological importance in arid and semi-arid regions”
e3“Enzymatic analyses showed differential production of amylase, chitinase, cellulase and protease among the three isolates”
Claim · model-written summary
Genes associated with antifungal lipopeptide biosynthesis were detected only in P. peli.
- Interactor
- P. peliPseudomonas pelie4biocontrol_agent
- Gene
- genes associated with the biosynthesis of antifungal lipopeptidese4
- Outcome
- detectede4
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e1“The cactus pear (Opuntia spp.) is a crop of major economic and ecological importance in arid and semi-arid regions”
e4“genes associated with the biosynthesis of antifungal lipopeptides were detected only in P. peli”