Biocontrol potential of Bacillus subtilis RH5 against sheath blight of rice caused by Rhizoctonia solani.

The sheath blight disease of rice caused by Rhizoctonia solani is widely prevalent and one of the most destructive diseases, affecting rice cultivation and loss worldwide. In the present study, a set of twenty Bacillus isolates from saline soil of Uttar Pradesh were tested for their biocontrol activity against R. solani with the aim to obtain a potential strain for the control of sheath blight disease toward ecofriendly and sustainable agriculture. The results of dual-culture assay and scanning electron microscopic studies showed that the strain RH5 exhibited significant antagonistic activity (84.41%) against the fungal pathogen R. solani. On the basis of 16S rDNA sequencing analysis, the potential biocontrol strain RH5 was identified as Bacillus subtilis. Furthermore, the strain RH5 was characterized by different plant growth-promoting (PGP) activities and induction of defense-related enzymes in rice plants against R. solani. The strain RH5 posses various PGP attributes (indole acetic acid, siderophore, hydrogen cyanide production and phosphate, Zn, K solubility), hydrolytic enzymatic (chitinase, protease, cellulase, xylanase) activity, and presence of antimicrobial peptide biosynthetic genes (bacylisin, surfactin, and fengycin), which support the strain for efficient colonization of hyphae and its inhibition. Finally, the results of the greenhouse study confirmed that strain RH5 significantly increased plant growth and triggered resistance in rice plants through the production of defense-related antioxidant enzymes.

Draft genome sequence of a cold-adapted phosphorous-solubilizing Pseudomonas koreensis P2 isolated from Sela Lake, India.

The draft genome sequence of a cold-adapted phosphorus-solubilizing strain Pseudomonas koreensis P2 isolated from the Sela Lake contains 6,436,246 bp with G + C content of 59.8%. The genome sequence includes 5743 protein coding genes, 68 non-protein coding genes, 1007 putative proteins, 5 rRNA genes, 64 tRNAs and two prophage regions in 40 contigs. Besides these, genes involved in phosphate solubilization, siderophore production, iron uptake, heat shock and cold shock tolerance, multidrug resistance and glycine-betaine production were also identified.

Draft Genome Sequence of Halotolerant Bacterium Chromohalobacter salexigens ANJ207, Isolated from Salt Crystal Deposits in Pipelines.

Chromohalobacter salexigens ANJ207 was isolated from a salt crystal and is known to tolerate up to 30% NaCl concentration. Here, we report the de novo draft assembly of C. salexigens ANJ207. The genome was determined to have 3.66 Mb represented in 13 scaffolds, with a total of 3,406 genes predicted.

First De Novo Draft Genome Sequence of the Pathogenic Fungus Fusarium udum F02845, Associated with Pigeonpea (Cajanus cajan L. Millspaugh) Wilt.

Fusarium udum F02845 is a destructive fungal pathogen which causes pigeonpea (Cajanus cajan L. Millspaugh) wilt. Here we report the first de novo draft assembly of Fusarium udum F02845, isolated from an infected pigeonpea stem. The genome was determined to be 56.38 Mb in size, with a G+C content of 42.44%, and predicted to have 712 scaffolds with a total number of 11,829 genes.