Antifungal activity of volatile compounds produced by endophytic Bacillus subtilis DZSY21 against Curvularia lunata

Purpose To screen endophytic Bacillus producing volatile organic compounds (VOCs) with antifungal activity, and to explore their biocontrol properties toward the growth and pathogenicity of Curvularia lunata . Methods Two-sealed-base-plate assays were used to estimate the antifungal activities of Bacillus strains against C. lunata . Conjoint analysis of solid-phase microextraction gas chromatography-mass spectrometry and antagonistic experiments were used to identify the VOCs responsible for the antifungal activity. Effects of individual synthetic VOCs were analyzed along with reactive oxygen species (ROS) accumulation in C. lunata conidia. After exposure to individual VOCs, conidia were also sprayed onto maize leaves to evaluate their pathogenicity. Expression levels of virulence-related genes in C. lunata mycelium following exposure to VOCs were analyzed using quantitative real-time PCR. Results Among the ten endophytic Bacillus strains and two plant growth-promoting rhizobacterial (PGPR) strains, only B. subtilis strain DZSY21 strongly inhibited the growth of C. lunata by producing VOCs. 2-Methylbutyric acid, 2-heptanone, and isopentyl acetate produced by strain DZSY21 showed inhibitory effects on the mycelia growth and conidial sporulation of C. lunata . 2-Heptanone and isopentyl acetate also repressed the germination of conidia and the expression levels of virulence-related genes in C. lunata mycelium. Moreover, isopentyl acetate strongly enhanced the accumulation of intracellular ROS in conidia. The disease indexes of maize leaves sprayed with VOC-treated C. lunata conidia were reduced from 60.52 to 26.64%. Conclusion Endophytic B. subtilis strain DZSY21 displayed the potential to control C. lunata by producing VOCs, especially 2-heptanone and isopentyl acetate.