With the widespread accumulation of drug resistance in various bacteria, bacteriophages are currently the most promising tools for the targeted eradication of plant pathogenic microorganisms. As the leading company in biotechnology and phage research, Creative Biolabs dedicates to providing the best services for phage therapy in agriculture.
There are more than 200 species of plant bacteria that threaten the harvesting, storage, and transportation of crops, which cause significant crop losses or human health problems. Antibiotics are widely used against plant pathogens, however, due to the overuse of antibiotics, multi-drug-resistant bacteria, extensively drug-resistant bacteria, and even pan-drug-resistant bacteria are beginning to spread in the environment. As the most potential means of combating ESKAPE bacteria, the unique properties of bacteriophages make them very promising alternatives for bacterial population control and have been studied or used as excellent antimicrobial agents in agricultural production.
The main plant pathogens that threaten crops are Pseudomonas syringae, Ralstonia solanacearum, Agrobacterium tumefaciens, Erwinia amyloliquefaciens, Dickella, Trichoderma, Xanthomonas and Pectobacterium. With the development of antibiotic resistance in these plant pathogens and the scarcity of chemical controls, phage therapy has seen a renaissance in agriculture
Pectobacterium is responsible for soft rot and blackleg, and it can infect a variety of important cash crops, including potatoes and carrots. Potato slices and field trials have demonstrated the ability of phages to control and kill this strain. Currently successfully isolated and characterized Pectobacterium phages include Jarilo, Wc5r, Phage vB_PatM_CB7, vB_PpaP_PP74, etc.
Fig. 1 Summary of the genomic organization of Pectobacterium phage CB7. (Buttimer, 2020)
Pseudomonas syringae causes bacterial canker in many important crops, including cherries and kiwi fruit. Traditional control methods can have a greater impact on the environment and generate drug resistance, so phage-based treatments are used as sustainable biological control methods.
Fig.2 Plaque morphology and electron microscopy images of the three phages.2
Agrobacterium tumefaciens is a gram-negative bacterium that can infect a variety of plants. It can cause crown gall disease by preventing its normal access to nutrients, resulting in crop death or reduced yields. Phage cocktails are a viable option to improve biocontrol of this plant pathogen.
Fig. 3 Characterization of Agrobacterium tumefaciens phage Atu_ph07. (Attai, 2018)
Xylella fastidiosa is a slow-growing Gram-negative plant pathogen that specifically infects the xylem of plants and causes Pierce disease. Pierce disease causes extensive damage and significant economic losses in vineyards and citrus groves. Phages that have been successfully isolated and specifically target Xylella fastidiosa include several variants.
Fig. 4 Electron micrographs of Xylella fastidiosa phages belonging to two different morphotypes. (Clavijo-Coppens, 2021)
Some other pathogenic microorganisms and corresponding phage therapy methods have been listed on other pages:
As phage therapy research progresses, several phage therapeutics have been reviewed and ready for direct use in agriculture, including Enterobacter pulvis phage used in the potato processing industry, Xanthomonas citri/Clavibacter michiganensis phages for plant ulcers and Erwinia amylovora phages that control fire blight, and more phages are still in the early experimental stage. As these phages are better and more widely isolated and characterized, their application prospects as antagonists of plant pathogens are also worth looking forward to.
To address the current challenges of drug-resistant pathogens in medicine and agriculture through phages and their biologics, Creative Biolabs currently offers novel phage therapy in agriculture-related services to assist your research in phage biology, phage-host interactions, and phage derivatives. Please do not hesitate to contact us for more information.
* For Research Use Only. We do not provide direct services or products for patients.