Effects of novel bioorganic fertilizer produced by Bacillus amyloliquefaciens W19 on antagonism of Fusarium wilt of banana

Banana production has been severely hindered by the long-term practice of monoculture agriculture. Fusarium wilt, caused by the Fusarium oxysporum f. sp. cubense (FOC), is one of the most destructive diseases that can afflict banana plants. It is both necessary and urgent to find an efficient method for protecting banana production worldwide. In this study, 57 antagonistic bacterial strains were isolated from the rhizospheres of healthy banana plants grown in a heavily wilt-diseased field; of the 57 strains, six strains with the best survival abilities were chosen for further study. Compared with the control and the other strains in the greenhouse experiment, W19 strain was found to observably decrease the incidence of Fusarium wilt and promote the growth of banana plants when combined with the organic fertilizer (OF). This strain was identified as Bacillus amyloliquefaciens based on its morphological, physiological, and biochemical properties, as well as 16S rRNA analysis. Two kinds of antifungal lipopeptides (iturin and bacillomycin D) produced by W19 strain were detected and identified using HPLC–ESI-MS. Another lipopeptide, called surfactin, was also produced by the thick biological film forming W19 strain. In addition to lipopeptides, 18 volatile antifungal compounds with significant antagonistic effect against F. oxysporum were detected and identified using gas chromatography–mass spectrometer (GC–MS). The work described herein not only highlights how the bioorganic fertilizer with B. amyloliquefaciens can be used to control Fusarium wilt of banana but also examines some of the potential mechanisms involved in the biocontrol of Fusarium wilt.