While works pathogenic bacteria are small , they can cause major problems in the nursery cultivation of vegetable and ornamental works . Implementation of hygienics protocols , as well as the disinfection of greenhouse before mature novel crops , can prevent the spread of the bacteria . Unfortunately pathogenic bacterium can sometimes escape all hygiene measuring stick . That is why the Greenhouse Horticulture and Flower Bulbs Business Unit at Wageningen University & Research is investigating which sustainable , effective alternatives are available to prevent bacterial plant disease in glasshouse gardening crops .
embed pathogenic bacteria are tough foe . They multiply quickly and are able to determine when they are present in the sufficient number to lash out a plant . They pass on with each other through signal corpuscle excreted by single bacterial cells . Some bacteria , such as genus Agrobacterium tumefaciens or Rhizobium rhizogenes , are able to manipulate the plant ’s genetic info by inserting T - DNA into the plant . As a result , hormonal homeostasis of the crop is disrupted and it starts producing secondary metabolites ( opines ) . These can be used almost exclusively by the bacteria as a nutrient source .
Microbial balanceBacteria are present in all glasshouse cultivation system . The majority of these exclusive - cellphone micro - organisms is not harmful to the plant . These good bacteria can even stimulate the maturation of a craw . In resilient cultivation systems , the good microbic equilibrium in substrate , piss and around / in the plant is very important . To conserve this rest and at the same time foreclose the counterpane of bacterial plant pathogens , Modern , sustainable scheme are needed , which can kill or inactivate works pathogenic bacterium without the adverse effects on good bacteria .
StrategiesWithin the current project , which started in 2019 , Wageningen University & Research is investigating various strategies to combat the evolution of bacterial plant diseases . Firstly , the use of microbial enzyme . They might be used to prevent the formation of a biofilm of flora infective bacterium on above and belowground parts of plants and infection .
The 2nd focal point of the project is to understand how good microbes can break up communication between plant pathogenic bacterium and thus make them less virulent . Possibilities for the use of leechlike bacterium , which prey on plant pathogenic bacterium , in glasshouse crops are also being explored .
Lastly , Wageningen University & Research is look into whether increase the resiliency of the craw and refinement organisation to bacterial diseases is possible . This could be achieved for example by intervention with chemical substance or microbial elicitors of plant ’s induced resistance or by inoculation of plant / growing substratum with micro - organisms , which are antagonistic to plant pathogenic bacterium .
Three speciesAt the moment enquiry focuses on three pathosystems : Rhizobium rhizogenes and tomato ( hairy tooth root disease ) Acidovorax cattleyae in Phalaenopsis ( brownish place of orchids ) and Xanthomonas hortorum pv . pelargonii in Pelargonium ( bacterial blight ) , but the noesis about potential solutions find during this project is expected to be easily transferable onto other crops and bacterial pathogen ..
The enquiry is being carry out in collaboration with Glastuinbouw Nederland in the Netherlands and is fund by Topsector Tuinbouw & Uitgangsmaterialen , Stichting Kennis In Je Kas ( KIJK ) , Stimuflori , ICL BV , Gennovation BV and ChiralVision BV .
Source : Wageningen University & Research
