Isolation and characterization of endophytic Bacillus subtilis Jaas ed1 antagonist of eggplant Verticillium wilt.

An endophytic bacterial strain, Jaas ed1, was isolated from the interior of eggplant (Solanum melongena L.) stems in Jiangsu Province, China. According to the morphological and physiological characteristics and phylogenetic analysis of the 16s rDNA sequence, it was identified as Bacillius subtilis. Strain Jaas ed1 and its cell-free filtrate had strong antifungal activity against Verticillium dahliae. The strain was an internal colonizer within the eggplant without any harmful side effects to the plant. In greenhouse experiments, the strain cell suspension effectively controlled Verticillium wilt of eggplant, and its control efficiency was far more significant than that of the cell-free filtrate after inoculation of V. dahliae.