ORIGINAL RESEARCH article
Front. Microbiol.
Sec. Microbe and Virus Interactions with Plants
Volume 16 - 2025 | doi: 10.3389/fmicb.2025.1587301
Biocontrol Potential and Comparative Genomic Analysis of Two Bacillus velezensis Strains Against Sclerotinosis in Mulberry Fruit
Provisionally accepted
- Chongqing Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Chongqing, China
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Mulberry trees (Morus spp.), a dual-purpose crop with nutritional and medicinal value, faces significant production constraints due to sclerotinosis. Two strains of B. velezensis (JT-3 and JD-3) were isolated, demonstrating strong inhibitory effects against the sclerotinia pathogen (56.06% for JT-3 and 75.42% for JD-3). These strains effectively suppressed sclerotium formation and germination, achieving a complete inhibition rate. Field trials and growth promotion experiments showed that disease incidence in mulberry fruit could be reduced by up to 75.72%, with significant improvements observed in plant height, stem thickness, leaf number, root length, root weight, and above-ground biomass compared to the control group. Oxford Nanopore Technologies (ONT) sequencing showed the genome of JT-3 consists of a single circular chromosome with a size of 3.85 Mb, while the genome of JD-3 comprises a circular chromosome and a plasmid, with a total size of 4.12 Mb, including a plasmid of 35.7 kb. Both strains exhibit the capacity to secrete antifungal Carbohydrate-Active Enzymes (CAZymes) such as lysozyme and chitinase. Comparative genomics identified JD-3-specific enrichments in flagellar motility, hydrolase systems, antimicrobial defense clusters. Additionally, Both strains harbored 12 The biosynthetic gene clusters (BGCs), with JD-3 uniquely encoding plantazolicin synthesis. These findings provide foundational insights for developing Bacillus-based bioformulations while opening new avenues for the health management of mulberry fruit.
Keywords: Sclerotinosis, Bacillus velezensis, Comparative genomes, biocontrol, mulberry
Received: 04 Mar 2025; Accepted: 28 Apr 2025.
Copyright: © 2025 Peng, LI, WEI and HAN. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.
* Correspondence: guohui HAN, Chongqing Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Chongqing, China
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