Involvement of phenazine-1-carboxylic acid in the interaction between Pseudomonas chlororaphis subsp. aureofaciens strain M71 and Seiridium cardinale in vivo

Pseudomonas chlororaphis subsp. aureofaciens encompasses bacterial strains that effectively control phytopathogenic fungi through the production of the natural antibiotics named phenazines. In this work, the involvement of phenazine production in the interaction between the biological control agent P. chlororaphis subsp. aureofaciens M71 and the fungus Seiridium cardinale, a serious cypress pathogen, was investigated. Field trials were carried out to assess the role of phenazines in the control of S. cardinale in vivo. Results showed that P. chlororaphis subsp. aureofaciens M71 and 30-84, both able to produce phenazine-1-carboxylic acid (PCA), drastically reduced the canker development incited by S. cardinale. Conversely, strain M71b, a natural gacA mutant of P. chlororaphis subsp. aureofaciens M71, showed a decrease in PCA production and a reduction in controlling S. cardinale. These results were enforced by the reduction of canker size higher than 94% registered when 6 μg of pure PCA was directly applied on each cypress wound. Furthermore, PCA was detected in cypress plant tissues only when P. chlororaphis subsp. aureofaciens M71 was interacting with S. cardinale for 30 days. All these data support that the biological control of S. cardinale achieved by the application of P. chlororaphis subsp. aureofaciens M71 relies mainly on the ability of the bacterial strain to produce PCA in planta.