Isolate UFV-101 of Bacillus cereus was selected in previous studies for promoting growth inducing resistance in plants. In a previous study, supernatant from cultures of the microorganism in a liquid medium was found to induce resistance in tomato foliage against the pathogens Pseudomonas syringae pv. tomato, Xanthomonas vesicatoria, Alternaria solani and Corynespora cassiicola. In the present work the microorganism was grown in a minimal medium for 48 h and the cells precipitated for centrifugation. The supernatant was concentrated by lyophilization, dialyzed in a 12 kDa cutoff point membrane and fractioned in column containing Sephadex G25 balanced in PBS buffer. The fractions corresponding to a protein peak were applied to tomato seedlings. After four days leaflets were collected and inoculated with the pathogen. C. cassiicola. The numbers of lesions produced by the pathogen on leaflets exposed to the bacterial supernatant were similar to those exposed to acibenzolar-S-methyl but fewer than in those treated with water. It is concluded that the supernatant contained protein which induced resistance in the tomato leaves against C. cassiicola.

Raoultella ornithinolytica is a gram-negative aerobic bacterium belonging to Enterobacteriaceae family, an emerging pathogen that causes several pathogenic conditions in man, with little veterinary importance; however, its identification is underestimated by conventional laboratory techniques. The present study reports the identification of R. ornithinolytica in Tinamus solitaries, during a routine sanitary evaluation of aerobic enterobacteria in cloacal microbiota of birds belonging to the Güira Oga Center, Puerto Iguazu, Argentina. The sample was preliminary classified as Klebsiella spp.; however, after the use of the MALDI-TOF MS technique it was identified as R. ornithinolytica. The sample was submitted to an antimicrobial susceptibility test, where it showed a similar pattern profile as reported in the literature, with resistance to ampicillin and other β-lactam antibiotics. It is possible that Raoultella spp are more common in birds as it is reported. Therefore, review studies on bacteria collections of avian origin, as well as cases with confirmation of Klebsiella, should be deeply evaluated in laboratorial routine, mainly due to the pathogenic potential of R. ornithinolytica for Poultry, as well as for public health.

We report the biocontrol activity of the endophytic bacteria Bacillus pumilus and Bacillus amyloliquefacies against the plant pathogenic bacterium Pseudomonas syringae pv. tomato strain NS4 transformed with the GFP expressing gene. P. s. pv. tomato strain NS4 was obtained from the transformation of P. s. pv. tomato wild-type strain NW with the plasmid pNKGFP containing GFP-cassette for chromosomal integration. The GFP-marked strain was tested for hypersensitivity and pathogenicity, as well as population studies on the phylloplane, to determine its epidemiology and survival. In all of the bioassays strain NS4 presented similar characteristics to the wild-type, and was hence chosen as the model strain for these studies with antagonistic endophytic bacterial strains. In the biocontrol experiments, tomato plants were preinoculated with the endophytic bacteria 4 days prior to inoculation with P. s. pv. tomato strains. On the tomato phylloplane the P. s. pv. tomato (strains NW and NS4) populations were drastically reduced, and tomato leaves showed reduced numbers of bacterial speck lesions, comparable to the standard chemical treatment copper oxychloride. Additionally, under epifluorescence microscopy, few GFP-tagged cells of strain NS4 were observed colonizing important niches on the tomato phylloplane. However, leaves untreated with the antagonists presented a large number of GFP-tagged cell aggregates. Our results demonstrated that endophytic bacteria can also act efficiently on the biocontrol of bacterial speck when applied as a foliar spray on the leaves. In addition, we highlighted the use of GFP-marked strain NS4 as a model system to study biocontrol agent and pathogen interactions, and growth and development of the pathogen on the tomato leaf surface.

-The objective of this work was to evaluate in vitro and in vivo biocontrol of bacterial spot (Xanthomonas vesicatoria) and early blight (Alternaria solani) by the epiphytic bacteria Paenibacillus macerans and Bacillus pumilus. Tomato plants were previously sprayed with epiphytic bacteria, benzalkonium chloride and PBS buffer and, after four days, they were inoculated with A. solani and X. vesicatoria. To determine the phytopathogenic bacteria population, leaflet samples were collected from each treatment every 24 hours, for seven days, and plated on semi-selective medium. The effect of epiphytic bacteria over phytopathogens was performed by the antibiosis test and antagonistic activity measured by inhibition zone diameter. The epiphytic and benzalkonium chloride drastically reduced the severity of early blight and bacterial spot in comparison to the control (PBS). In detached leaflets, the epiphytic bacteria reduced in 70% the number of phytopathogenic bacteria cells in the phylloplane. The antibiosis test showed that the epiphytic bacteria efficiently inhibit the phytopathogens growth. In all the bioassays, the epiphytic bacteria protect tomato plants against the phytopathogens.Index terms: Alternaria solani, Bacillus pumilus, Paenibacillus macerans, Xanthomonas vesicatoria, biological control, epiphytic bacteria. Biocontrole da mancha-bacteriana e da pinta-preta por bactérias epifíticas em tomateiro Resumo -O objetivo deste trabalho foi avaliar o biocontrole in vitro e in vivo dos fitopatógenos manchabacteriana (Xanthomonas vesicatoria) e pinta-preta (Alternaria solani) pelas bactérias epifíticasPaenibacillus macerans e Bacillus pumilus. Plantas de tomate foram previamente pulverizadas com as bactérias epifíticas, cloreto de benzalcônio e tampão PBS e, após quatro dias, receberam inoculação com A. solani e X. vesicatoria. A fim de determinar a população da bactéria fitopatogênica, amostras de folíolos foram coletadas de cada tratamento em intervalos de 24 horas, durante sete dias, e inoculadas em meio semisseletivo. O efeito das bactérias epifíticas sobre os fitopatógenos foi realizado pelo teste de antibiose e atividade antagônica avaliada pelo diâmetro da zona de inibição. As bactérias epifíticas e o cloreto de benzalcônico reduziram drasticamente a severidade da pinta-preta e da mancha-bacteriana, comparado com o controle (PBS). Em folíolos destacados, as bactérias epifíticas reduziram em até 70% o número de células da bactéria fitopatogênica no filoplano. As bactérias epifíticas inibem eficientemente o crescimento dos fitopatógenos em meio de cultura. Em todos os bioensaios, as bactérias epifíticas protegem as plantas de tomate contra os fitopatógenos.Termos para indexação: Alternaria solani, Bacillus pumilus, Paenibacillus macerans, Xanthomonas vesicatoria, controle biológico, bactéria epifítica.

Powdery mildew is one of the main diseases in eucalyptus clonal nursery. The present work aimed to confirm the identity of the causal agent of powdery mildew in clonal seedlings of Eucalyptus spp., and to evaluate the susceptibility reaction of clones to this disease. Conidia were collected in minigardens for molecular identification of the pathogen. We assessed susceptibility by testing 4 clones: Clone 1 (Eucalyptus benthamii), Clone 2 (E. dunni), Clone 3 (E. benthamii) and Clone 4 (E. urophylla x E. globulus). Scale of classes was used for calculations of Disease Index (DI) and Final Incidence (I). Temporal analysis was performed using the Logistic and Gompertz models. The molecular identification confirmed the identity of the isolates approximate to Podosphaera pannosa (teleomorphic phase of Oidium eucalypti). The Gompertz model obtained a better adjustment to the severity and incidence data, and clones 1 and 2 showed greater susceptibility to eucalyptus powdery mildew.

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This study aimed to develop and validate a standard area diagram (SAD) set to estimate the severity of bacterial blight of eucalyptus caused by Erwinia psidii. For this purpose, an eight-level SAD was developed and validated by ten inexperienced raters. Accuracy and precision of the estimates by each rater, with and without the SAD, were determined based on Lin’s concordance correlation coefficient. The proposed SAD improved the accuracy and precision of the estimates. The SAD set studied here is a useful tool in assessments of bacterial blight of eucalyptus for epidemiological research and breeding programs.

Paspalum is one of the largest genera in the family Poaceae and includes approximately 350 species of plants, mainly distributed in the tropical and subtropical regions of the American continent (Zuloaga and Morrone, 2005). More than 200 species occur in Brazil (Oliveira and Valls, 2002), most of which are native and naturally found in different Brazilian biomes (Zuloaga and Morrone, 2005). Paspalum species have great morphological and physiological diversity (Sartor et al., 2009). Those with desirable agronomic characteristics, such as cold and drought tolerance, low nutritional requirement, resistance to trampling, dry matter production, fast soil cover, and low maintenance requirements, are used in sports lawns, landscape projects, and as forage for livestock (Duncan and Carrow, 2000; Cidade et al., 2013; Steiner et al., 2017). However, the occurrence of fungal diseases affects the production and quality of these plants and cause economic and ecological losses (Duncan and Carrow, 2000; Vargas, 2004). Plants of Paspalum guenoarum ecotype "Azulão" with symptoms of take-all disease were observed in Eldorado do Sul, Rio Grande do Sul state, Brazil. In the field, wilted plants with chlorotic or necrotic leaves were found in patches that vary in shape and size, with well-defined borders between plants with and without symptoms. Individually, the diseased plants showed rot of roots and culms (Figure 1). In other Paspalum species, take-all disease has commonly been associated with the Magnaporthaceae fungus Gaeumannomyces graminis (Lenne,