Biological control of toxigenic citrus and papaya-rotting fungi by Streptomyces violascens MT7 and its extracellular metabolites.

An Indian indigenous, Loktak Lake soil isolate Streptomyces violascens MT7 was assessed for its biocontrol potential both in vitro and in vivo against toxigenic fruit-rotting fungi. Strain MT7 exhibited broad-spectrum antifungal activity against various pathogenic postharvest fungi of citrus and papaya. In shake-flask fermentation, antagonist S. violascens MT7 highly produced extracellular antifungal metabolites in early stationary growth phase in glucose-yeast extract-malt extract (M93) broth. Both extracellular culture fluid (ECF) and its n-butanol extract showed significant broad-spectrum fungal mycelial inhibition of several tested fruit-rotting fungi. Antifungal metabolite was found to be heat stable, nonpeptidic, and polyene type antibiotic. The lowest minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) of n-butanol extract against Colletotrichum gloeosporioides MTCC 9664 and Aspergillus niger MTCC 281 was 0.0312 and 0.0625 mg/ml, respectively. Purification of n-butanol extract through silica gel chromatography resulted in partial purification of bioactive metabolite and the TLC autobiography revealed the presence of single antifungal metabolite with Rf value of 0.755. In vivo bioassays demonstrated the biocontrol potential of tested biocontrol agents on fruit-rotting fungi. Use of cell suspension of S. violascens MT7, extracellular metabolite(s), and n-butanol extract significantly (p < 0.05) reduced sour-rot development on Citrus reticulata Blanco (oranges) and soft-rot development on papaya fruits. Therefore, these results strongly suggest a high potential for application of S. violascens MT7 and its extracellular metabolites as an effective eco-friendly alternative to synthetic fungicides for controlling toxigenic citrus and papaya-rotting fungi.

Fungal cell-wall lytic enzymes, antifungal metabolite(s) production, and characterization from Streptomyces exfoliatus MT9 for controlling fruit-rotting fungi.

An antifungal actinomycete strain MT9 was isolated from Loktak Lake, Manipur, India and its cultural characteristics, fatty acid methyl ester, 16S rRNA gene analysis suggests that strain MT9 is identical to Streptomyces exfoliatus. Strain MT9 displayed strong and broad-spectrum antagonism towards several fruit-rotting fungi by mycelial growth suppression. Crude fungal cell-wall lytic enzymes, i.e., chitinase, ß-1,3-glucanase, and protease produced by S. exfoliatus MT9 were optimally active at pH 8.0 and 50 °C, pH 5.0 and 60 °C, pH 9.0 and 70 °C, respectively. All three mycolytic enzymes had good stability over a wide pH range of 5.0-10.0, with protease being more thermostable than both chitinase and ß-1,3-glucanase. Interestingly zymogram analysis revealed that S. exfoliatus MT9 secretes six distinct chitinase isoenzymes with approximate molecular weights of 9.42, 13.93, 27.87, 36.43, 54.95, 103.27 kDa, six active protease isoenzymes with apparent molecular weights of 12.45, 30.20, 37.45, 46.32, 52.46, 131.46 kDa, and an active band of 119.39 kDa as ß-1,3-glucanase enzyme. Extracellular fluid and its organic solvent extracts also exhibited inhibitory activity to various fruit-rotting fungi. The MIC value of n-butanol extract was 2-25 µg/ml against tested fruit-rotting fungi. Antifungal secondary metabolite(s) was found to be polyene in nature. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first report on extracellular production of fungal cell-wall lytic enzymes and antifungal metabolites by bioactive S. exfoliatus MT9 under submerged fermentation.