Eco‐friendly rhamnolipid based fungicides for protection of soybeans from Phytophthora sojae

Abstract

BACKGROUND: Excessive use of chemical fungicides over the years for plant pathogen control has caused unwanted damage to non-target organisms and resistance buildup in the target organisms. These harmful effects have prompted the industry to look for more sustainable and eco-friendly solutions. Rhamnolipid is a naturally occurring surfactant that is biodegradable, relatively innocuous to non-target species and can effectively lyse zoospores, the life form responsible for the spread of Phytophthora. In this study, rhamnolipid based coatings were developed and evaluated for protection of soybeans from P. sojae zoospores.RESULTS: Pure (acidic) rhamnolipid, when coated on the soybeans, affects the germination negatively. However, sodium and calcium complexed rhamnolipids do not interfere with germination. Seeds coated with 15-20 mg of developed formulation were planted in soil pots and then subjected to P. sojae infection by simulating flooding conditions and zoospore inoculation. Statistical analysis showed that sodium rhamnolipid based coating significantly improved the germination in presence of P. sojae from 42% to 73% (P = 0.017) while the germination of stress-free control was 85% (statistically similar to coated seeds, P = 1). CONCLUSION: Neutralized rhamnolipid can protect soybeans from P. sojae without any negative effect on germination. This work illustrates the strategy to use rhamnolipid as effective fungicide.

Plant-associated Pseudomonas aeruginosa harbor multiple virulence traits essential for mammalian infection

“…Rhamnolipids are a class of metabolites predominantly released by P. aeruginosa to infiltrate mammalian lung tissues (McClure and Schiller, 1992, 1996; Zulianello et al, 2006). In plants, rhamnolipids provide protection against pests and pathogens (Kim et al, 2011; Yan et al, 2015; Sancheti and Ju, 2019). In this study, the agricultural strains of P. aeruginosa were hypothesized to produce extracellular rhamnolipids.…”

“…Previous clinical studies have suggested that P. aeruginosa rhamnolipids alter the respiratory epithelium facilitating lung infiltration (McClure and Schiller, 1996; Zulianello et al, 2006). However, in the agricultural ecosystem, rhamnolipids produced from P. aeruginosa protect the host plant against fungal pathogens (Oomycetes, Ascomycota, and Zygomycetes) and green peach aphid (Kim et al, 2000; Kim et al, 2011; Yan et al, 2015; Sancheti and Ju, 2019). In the current study, we have observed that the clinical strains PAO1 and ATCC10145 are the superior rhamnolipid producers (Fig, 3B).…”

Rhamnolipids produced by Pseudomonas: from molecular genetics to the market

“…At present, RL that are in the market are used mainly in the petrochemical industry, bioremediation of different pollutants, household products, agricultural chemicals and personal care products (Sekhon Randhawa and Rahman, 2014). In addition, RL present other activities such as antifungal properties (Borah et al ., 2016; Sancheti and Ju, 2019), antimicrobial activity, and they show low toxicity (Johann et al ., 2016) and do not disturb the immune response, so these characteristics could expand their applications to the pharmaceutical industry (Chong and Li, 2017). RL are industrially produced by different companies such as: NatSurFact (USA), AGAE technologies Ltd. (USA), Rhamnolipid, Inc. (USA), GlycoSurf (USA), TensioGreen (USA) and Jeneil biosurfactant (Germany).…”

Rhamnolipid Effects on Water Imbibition, Germination, and Initial Root and Shoot Growth of Soybeans

“…The use of rhamnolipid in bioremediation, enhanced oil recovery, pharmaceutics, cosmetics, and agriculture has been explored extensively (Gunawardana et al, ; Marchant and Banat, ; Urum and Pekdemir, ; Varnier et al, ). In agriculture, rhamnolipid has been used to control pests, modify soil water retention, and induce innate immunity (Burketová et al, ; Sancheti and Ju, ). Rhamnolipid is biodegradable, and its residue does not pose a threat to consumers when used as pesticides (Mohan et al, ).…”

“…In agriculture, Supporting information Additional supporting information may be found online in the Supporting Information section at the end of the article. rhamnolipid has been used to control pests, modify soil water retention, and induce innate immunity (Burketová et al, 2015;Sancheti and Ju, 2019). Rhamnolipid is biodegradable, and its residue does not pose a threat to consumers when used as pesticides (Mohan et al, 2006).…”