Characterization of Antifungal Antibiotic Synthesis Genes from Different Strains of Bacillus subtilis

In this study, fifteen bacterial strains were collected from different microhabitats and characterized using biochemical and molecular techniques. The use of 16S rRNA revealed that the strains were belonged to Bacillus subtilis. Further, the strains were evaluated for their efficacy to promote plant growth in tomato seedlings. The results showed the greater plant growth promotion in seedlings treated with B. subtilis strain EPCO16. Subsequently, they were evaluated against Fusarium oxysporum f. sp. lycopersici in vitro. Bacillus subtilis strain EPCO16 has greater inhibition to E oxysporum f. sp. lycopersici. The PCR amplification of antibiotic genes in different strains of B. subtilis was carried out. The results revealed the presence of Iturin D, Iturin C, Bacillomycin A, Bacillomycin D, Bacilysin, Fengycin and beta-glucanase in B. subtilis EPCO16. The characterization of antibiotic genes revealed the biocontrol potential of B. subtilis strain EPCO16 against soil borne pathogens of vegetables.