Control of Fungal Diseases and Increase in Yields of a Cultivated Jujube Fruit (Zizyphus jujuba Miller var. inermis Rehder) Orchard by Employing Lysobacter antibioticus HS124
Round 1
Reviewer 1 Report
forests-639119-Control of Fungal Diseases and Increase in Yields of a Cultivated Jujube Fruit (Zizyphus jujuba var. inermis Rehder) Orchard by Employing Lysobacter antibioticus HS124
In the present paper the Authors aim to investigate the effects of Lysobacter antibioticus on control of fungal phytopathogens which cause various diseases in Zizyphus jujuba. They also investigated the increase in fruit quality in the presence of L. antibioticus.
The paper gives input to growth of eco-friendly agriculture with interesting results.
The introduction on Jujube is well structured. I would like authors to check if the appropriate references are quoted in place. By checking some of them I found that some references seem not to be the right ones. Some examples of possible inconsistencies are given below.
Line 38. It can strengthen the cardiovascular system and promotes enzymatic reactions. This statement is not supported by any reference
Line 39. It can also promote energy metabolism in cells [5,6]. The references do not deal with metabolism, they give details of methods to investigate the chemical composition of the fruits.
Line 41. Is Ref. 1 the correct one to give details related to FAO/WHO recommendations?
Line 43. Ref. 7 refers to content of saponins in leaves, not in seeds.
Line 47. The Authors refer to °Brix. Despite this indicator is widely used in the food industry it seems to me not appropriate because it may be influenced by other compounds like proteins, fibers and so on. I hope the Authors can refer to the sugar content by using references with more appropriate methods/units.
The introduction on fungal diseases is well done with relevant references given.
Results
Figures 2, 3, 4 should be placed close to the reference text. It is not convenient for the reader to move up and down to locate the appropriate figure. Also, captions should be more informative. Fig. 4 is composed by a hystogram and some photos, and they are named a and b; no reference is made in the caption.
Caption in Fig. 5 is also not sufficient. Please be more informative and say something on the arrows and what they indicate. Fig. 6 should be moved to the appropriate part of results.
Discussion/conclusions
I think that discussion and conclusions should be merged together. In fact, in the present form the discussion seems to be a synthesis of the results, while the conclusions, with references quoted therein, looks like a discussion.
If the authors merge them they can summarise the results and discuss them in a better way. At the end of the discussion one or two sentences can draw up the conclusions.
The paper is very interesting and the results are worthy publication in Forests
Notes
Please do not use italic for the authors of botanical names: Rehder must be Rehder (Lines: 4 and 33).
The full botanical name is: Zizyphus jujuba Miller var. inermis Rehder.
I think that the authorities can be omitted in the title (decision left to the Editors), but must be present the first time the plant name is given.
I would add family Rhamnaceae among the Keywords.
Keywords should be ordered alphabetically.
Author Response
Response to Reviewer# 1 Comments
I appreciate your valuable time and critical comments. I agree with your suggestions and comments. Therefore, I have revised the manuscript according to your suggestions. The revised sentences are highlighted in yellow in the revised manuscript.
In the present paper the Authors aim to investigate the effects of Lysobacter antibioticus on control of fungal phytopathogens which cause various diseases in Zizyphus jujuba. They also investigated the increase in fruit quality in the presence of L. antibioticus.
The paper gives input to growth of eco-friendly agriculture with interesting results.
The introduction on Jujube is well structured. I would like authors to check if the appropriate references are quoted in place. By checking some of them I found that some references seem not to be the right ones. Some examples of possible inconsistencies are given below.
-Line 38. It can strengthen the cardiovascular system and promotes enzymatic reactions. This statement is not supported by any reference.
-Line 39. It can also promote energy metabolism in cells [5,6]. The references do not deal with metabolism, they give details of methods to investigate the chemical composition of the fruits.
► I have revised these sentences and added appropriate references as follows;
Jujube fruit is rich in fiber, minerals, phenolic compounds, and vitamins [1,5]. It can strengthen the cardiovascular system with antioxidant capacity [6,7]. (Line 37-39 in Page 1)
-Line 41. Is Ref. 1 the correct one to give details related to FAO/WHO recommendations?
► I have added a Ref. 8. (Line 41 in Page 1)
-Line 43. Ref. 7 refers to content of saponins in leaves, not in seeds.
► I have revised it to Ref. 9 which refers to contents of saponins in seeds. (Line 43 in Page 2).
-Line 47. The Authors refer to °Brix. Despite this indicator is widely used in the food industry it seems to me not appropriate because it may be influenced by other compounds like proteins, fibers and so on. I hope the Authors can refer to the sugar content by using references with more appropriate methods/units.
► I have revised the unit to be sugar content (g) per 100 g as follows:
high sugar content of approximately 5.4 to 10.5 g/100 g and its high moisture content [1,14]. (Line 46-47 in Page 2).
The introduction on fungal diseases is well done with relevant references given.
Results
-Figures 2, 3, 4 should be placed close to the reference text. It is not convenient for the reader to move up and down to locate the appropriate figure. Also, captions should be more informative.
- Fig. 4 is composed by a hystogram and some photos, and they are named a and b; no reference is made in the caption.
-Caption in Fig. 5 is also not sufficient. Please be more informative and say something on the arrows and what they indicate.
-Fig. 6 should be moved to the appropriate part of results.
► Figures 2, 3, 4, 5, and 6 were moved to be close to the texts for the convenience of readers. In addition, I have revised captions for figures as follows:
Figure 2. Cell growth curve of L. antibioticus HS124 in CY medium at 30oC for 10 days. Error bars represent the standard deviation of three replications. (Line 214-215 in Page 6)
Figure 3. Chitinase activity of L. antibioticus HS124 grown in CYD medium at 30oC for 10 days. Quantitative measurement of chitinase enzymes produced by strain HS124 was done using a UV spectrometer at 420 nm. (Line 220-222 in Page 6)
Figure 4. Inhibitory effects of L. antibioticus HS124 on mycelial growth of B. cinerea, B. dothidea, and C. gloeosporioides (a) and antagonistic activity of L. antibioticus HS124 against fungal pathogens (b) with the dual culture method. (Line 233-235 in Page 7)
Figure 5. Deformed hyphal morphologies of B. cinerea (d); B. dothidea (e); and C. gloeosporioides (f) affected by L. antibioticus HS124 compared to B. cinerea control (a); B. dothidea control (b); and C. gloeosporioides control (c) under a light microscope. Arrows indicate hyphal alterations with swelling and bulbous structures caused by L. antibioticus HS124. (Line 237-240 in Page 7)
Discussion/conclusions
I think that discussion and conclusions should be merged together. In fact, in the present form the discussion seems to be a synthesis of the results, while the conclusions, with references quoted therein, looks like a discussion.
If the authors merge them they can summarise the results and discuss them in a better way. At one or two sentences can draw up the conclusions.
► I have revised Discussion and Conclusions sections. In the Discussion section, I compared results of this study with those of other studies showing that chitinase produced from L. antibioticus HS124 could increase fruit yield by controlling fungal diseases in jujube orchards. In addition, I clarified that the secretion of organic acids from L. antibioticus HS124 could increase mineral contents in the fruit by solubilizing mineral elements such Ca, K, Mg, and P in the soil. In the Conclusions section, I summarized the main study results and considerations. (Line 270-323 in Page 9-10)
The paper is very interesting and the results are worthy publication in Forests
Notes
Please do not use italic for the authors of botanical names: Rehder must be Rehder (Lines: 4 and 33).
► I have revised it accordingly. (Line 4 and 33 in Page 1)
The full botanical name is: Zizyphus jujuba Miller var. inermis Rehder. I think that the authorities can be omitted in the title (decision left to the Editors), but must be present the first time the plant name is given.
► I have revised it to be Zizyphus jujuba Miller var. inermis Rehder. (Line 4 and 33 in Page 1)
I would add family Rhamnaceae among the Keywords.
► I have added it accordingly. (Line 30 in Page 1)
Keywords should be ordered alphabetically.
► I have ordered them alphabetically. (Line 29-30 in Page 1)
Reviewer 2 Report
The present manuscript aims to verify and evaluates the inhibitory effects of Lysobacter antibioticus HS124 on fungal phytopathogens associated with several plant diseases and to promote the yield of fruit in jujube farms. The authors concluded that L. antibioticus HS124 decreased the incidence of the diseases in jujube farms and increased the fruit yield and growth. Fungal diseases are a relevant issue in plant farms and, thus, this study has relevant upshots for agriculture and farm production.
However, the manuscript has some points, lacks a more profound discussion of the general results and, thus, needs to be adjusted before publication.
Abstract:
-when starting a sentence, write the entire name of the species (Lysobacter antibioticus and not L. antibioticus);
Introduction:
Page 1, line 33: the measures of the +fruit are “approximately”, not fixed. Please correct the sentence;
Material and Methods:
Page 3, line 109: indicate the OD measured to obtain 10E/CFU; All reagents used in M&M (CY, CYD, peptone, NaCl, etc): it is required the indication of the brand and origin of manufacturer; Indicate the reference(s) for the bacterial culture procedure; Page 4, line 134: “dual culture medium” – reference of this method? Page 4, line 148: “4. Indole-3-Acetic Acid (IAA) Production by L. antibioticus HS124” – put the name of the species in non-italic form (the name of a species shall always be on contrary of the rest of the text); Page 5, line 174: why use this particular concentration: 10E10 CFU/mL? Clarify this in the manuscript;
Results:
Figures with results should be placed after the explanation of the respective “results”;
Discussion:
The results need to be netter explored, namely the comparison with other similar reports, and the significance of the outcome; The minerals and the yield increase and sometimes significantly: so why not explore these results deeply? Compare with other soil treatments/reports? This reviewer thinks that the combination of “Results” and “Discussion” would impact positively the outcome revealed by this.
Author Response
Response to Reviewer#2 Comments
I appreciate your valuable time and critical comments. I agree with your suggestions and comments. Therefore, I have revised the manuscript according to your suggestions. The revised sentences are highlighted in yellow in the revised manuscript.
The present manuscript aims to verify and evaluates the inhibitory effects of Lysobacter antibioticus HS124 on fungal phytopathogens associated with several plant diseases and to promote the yield of fruit in jujube farms. The authors concluded that L. antibioticus HS124 decreased the incidence of the diseases in jujube farms and increased the fruit yield and growth. Fungal diseases are a relevant issue in plant farms and, thus, this study has relevant upshots for agriculture and farm production.
However, the manuscript has some points, lacks a more profound discussion of the general results and, thus, needs to be adjusted before publication.
Abstract:
-when starting a sentence, write the entire name of the species (Lysobacter antibioticus and not L. antibioticus);
► I have revised them accordingly. (Line 14-15 in Page 1)
Introduction:
Page 1, line 33: the measures of the +fruit are “approximately”, not fixed. Please correct the sentence;
► The fruit size of the jujube is not fixed. Thus, information about fruit size was deleted as follows;
Jujube (Zizyphu jujuba Miller var. inermis Rehder) is an elliptical or spherical-shaped fruit [1]. (Line 33 in Page 1)
Material and Methods:
-Page 3, line 109: indicate the OD measured to obtain 10E/CFU;
► I have measured the OD and added the data of optical density (OD) as follows:
The pre-inoculated broth culture of strain HS124 was also checked with a UV-spectrometer (Shimadzu, Kyoto, Japan) at wavelength of 600 nm. Its optical density (OD) value was 1.71 [37]. (Line 110 to 112 in Page 3)
-All reagents used in M&M (CY, CYD, peptone, NaCl, etc): it is required the indication of the brand and origin of manufacturer;
► I have indicated the brand name and the manufacturer information for all reagents used in this study in the Materials and Methods section (CY, CYD, peptone, NaCl, etc.).
-Indicate the reference(s) for the bacterial culture procedure; Page 4, line 134: “dual culture medium” – reference of this method?
► I have indicated the references (Refs. 27, 28, and 30) for the bacterial culture procedure. (Line 138 and 146 in Page 4)
-Page 4, line 148: “4. Indole-3-Acetic Acid (IAA) Production by L. antibioticus HS124” – put the name of the species in non-italic form (the name of a species shall always be on contrary of the rest of the text);
► I have revised it accordingly. (Line 150 in Page 4)
-Page 5, line 174: why use this particular concentration: 10E10 CFU/mL? Clarify this in the manuscript;
► A high concentration (10E10 CFU/mL) of L. antibioticus HS124 was used for large scale cultivation. I have explained the large scale cultivation of L. antibioticus HS124 as follows:
The liquid form of microbial product containing 1010 CFU/mL of L. antibioticus HS124 (GCM+, Purne, Jangseong, Korea) was used for large scale cultivation of L. antibioticus HS124. Typically, 150 ml of L. antibioticus HS124 liquid product was inoculated into 500 L of CY medium and cultured at 30°C for seven days using a fermenter. (Line 178-182 in Page 5)
Results:
-Figures with results should be placed after the explanation of the respective “results”;
► I have moved Figures 2, 3, 4, 5, and 6 and Table to be close to the text after explaining these results.
Discussion:
-The results need to be netter explored, namely the comparison with other similar reports, and the significance of the outcome.
-The minerals and the yield increase and sometimes significantly: so why not explore these results deeply? Compare with other soil treatments/reports?
► I have discussed more about the result of biocontrol agent and mineral elements and yields in fruits in comparison with other similar reports. I also added the significance of the study results in the Discussion section. (Line 270-314 in Page 9)
-This reviewer thinks that the combination of “Results” and “Discussion” would impact positively the outcome revealed by this.
► I have combined the two to have a ‘Results and Discussion’ section in the revised manuscript. (Line 270-314 in Page 9)
Round 2
Reviewer 2 Report
The authors have replied to all queries and corrected the information I indicated.
