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Journal of Integrative Agriculture  2026, Vol. 25 Issue (8): 3318-3329    DOI: 10.1016/j.jia.2025.02.029
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Identification of novel Bacillus velezensis zm026 in corn diseases control and fumonisin inhibition

Shan Geng1*, Zhimeng Zhang2*, Yuwei Zhao1, Ruixue Zhao1, Jiaqi Li1, Yingchao Liu1, Zhiyan Cao1#, Bin Zhao1#, Jingao Dong1#

1 State Key Laboratory of North China Crop Improvement and Regulation, College of Plant Protection, Hebei Agricultural University, Baoding 071001, China

2 Tangshan Plant Protection and Quarantine Station, Tangshan 063000, China

 Highlights 
Bacillus velezensis zm026 functions as an effective in-situ management strain for regulating the microbial community structure within maize kernels.
Bacillus velezensis zm026 colonizes the surfaces of maize roots and activates the plant’s immune system.
Bacillomycin D disrupts the integrity of the fungal cell membrane and inhibits spore germination.
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摘要  

真菌病害不仅会降低玉米产量,还会产生霉菌毒素威胁人畜健康,其在秸秆还田后愈加严重。本研究通过微生物组技术获得了秸秆还田前后的根系微生物群落变化,并从根际土壤中分离出对拟轮枝镰孢和玉米大斑病菌高度拮抗贝莱斯芽孢杆菌zm026;该菌株可定殖在玉米根表面并激活植物免疫系统,显著增加ZmGSTZmZHDZmPR-1ZmPR-2ZmPR-3等防御基因的表达;通过高分辨质谱技术鉴定了高效抗菌物质bacillomycin D;台盼蓝、DAPI(4',6-二脒基-2-苯基吲哚)和PI(碘化丙啶)等染色结果表明,bacillomycin D通过诱导细胞凋亡导致孢子局部膨胀或破裂,进而破坏真菌细胞膜的完整性、抑制孢子萌发;室内盆栽试验表明,zm026显著促进了玉米的生长,降低了真菌病害的发生率和伏马毒素污染水平,并有效降低了玉米籽粒中镰孢菌丰度。本研究为秸秆还田后玉米病害的生态调控提供了原位修复菌株。



Abstract  

Fungal diseases affecting maize not only reduce maize yields but also generate fungal toxins that pose risks to both human and animal health, particularly when the straw is returned to the field.  Microbial in-situ control is considered an environmentally friendly method that effectively addresses the limitations of unstable effects.  In this study, we isolated Bacillus velezensis zm026 from rhizosphere soil for in-situ restoration, based on the soil community structure, which exhibits high antagonistic activity against Fusarium verticillioides and Exserohilum turcicum.  Zm026 effectively colonized the surface of maize roots within 5 days and activated the plant immune system, significantly increasing the expression of defense genes such as ZmGST, ZmZHD, ZmPR-1, ZmPR-2, and ZmPR-3.  The efficient anti-fungal substance of zm026 was identified by HPLC-MS and determined to be bacillomycin D.  Further observations using trypan blue staining, along with DAPI (4´,6-diamidino-2-phenylindole) and PI (propidium iodide) fluorescent staining, revealed that bacillomycin D could inhibit fungal spore germination, disrupt the integrity of fungal cell membranes, induce apoptosis, and cause spore tips to protrude, swell, or rupture.  Ultimately, indoor pot experiments demonstrated that the application of zm026 fermentation broth significantly promoted growth, inhibited the onset of fungal diseases in maize, and effectively reduced the abundance of Fusarium spp. in maize grains.  This research provides a beneficial in-situ restoration strain for the high-quality development of maize.

Keywords:  rhizosphere microbiome       bacillomycin D        Fumonisin B1        biological control  
Received: 27 October 2024   Accepted: 23 December 2024 Online: 18 February 2025  
Fund: 

This work was supported by the National Key Research & Development Program of China (2023YFD1401500), the Natural Science Foundation of Hebei Province, China (C2021204093, C2020204017 and C2021204137), the China Agriculture Research System (CARS-02), the Key Projects of Science and Technology Research in Colleges and Universities of Hebei Province, China (ZD2020319), and the Key Research and Development Projects of Hebei Province, China (20326510D and 19226503D).

About author:  #Correspondence Jingao Dong, Tel: +86-312-7528166, E-mail: dongjingao@126.com; Bin Zhao, Tel: +86-312-7528567, E-mail: bdzhaobin@126.com; Zhiyan Cao, Tel: +86-312-7528567, E-mail: caoyan208@126.com * These authors contributed equally to this study.

Cite this article: 

Shan Geng, Zhimeng Zhang, Yuwei Zhao, Ruixue Zhao, Jiaqi Li, Yingchao Liu, Zhiyan Cao, Bin Zhao, Jingao Dong. 2026. Identification of novel Bacillus velezensis zm026 in corn diseases control and fumonisin inhibition. Journal of Integrative Agriculture, 25(8): 3318-3329.

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