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Viruses
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Bacteriophage-Based Biocontrol in Agriculture, 2nd Edition
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Bacteriophage-Based Biocontrol in Agriculture, 2nd Edition

A special issue of Viruses (ISSN 1999-4915). This special issue belongs to the section "Bacterial Viruses".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (28 February 2025) | Viewed by 10171

Special Issue Editors

Prof. Dr. Elena G. Biosca

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Departamento de Microbiología y Ecología, Universitat de València, Valencia, Spain
Interests: plant bacteriology; biotechnological applications; plant pathogenic bacteria; bacteriophages; biocontrol; phage therapy
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Dr. María Belén Álvarez Ortega

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Instituto Madrileño de Investigación y Desarrollo Rural, Agrario y Alimentario (IMIDRA), Madrid, Spain
Interests: plant pathology; plant pathogenic bacteria; bacteriophages; biocontrol; phage therapy
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

We are pleased to announce an upcoming second Special Issue on Bacteriophage-based Biocontrol in Agriculture. This Special Issue will cover the latest advancements in the field of phage biocontrol, including the identification and characterization of phages, their delivery methods, and their efficacy and safety in controlling bacterial infections in crops. We are inviting scientists to submit their original research articles, review papers, and short communications on the topic of bacteriophage-based biocontrol in agriculture. We encourage submissions that cover a wide range of topics, including but not limited to phage identification and characterization, phage cocktails and their efficacy in controlling plant bacterial infections, and phage delivery methods and their optimization. Our aim is to provide a comprehensive overview of the current state of the art in bacteriophage-based biocontrol of major bacterial plant pathogens, and highlight the potential of this promising, ecological and safe approach to reducing the use of agrochemicals in agriculture. Research on phage scaleup, bioproduction, and field application is welcome.

We invite you to contribute your research to this Special Issue and be part of the scientific community that is shaping the future of eco-sustainable and safe agriculture. Don't miss this opportunity to showcase your research and contribute to this important topic.

Prof. Dr. Elena G. Biosca
Dr. María Belén Álvarez Ortega
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Viruses is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2600 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • phage-therapy
  • biocontrol
  • phytopathogenic bacteria
  • bioproduction
  • field application

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Related Special Issue

Published Papers (4 papers)

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16 pages, 5616 KiB  
Article
Evaluation of Different Formulations on the Viability of Phages for Use in Agriculture
by Marcela León, Jorge Araya, Mauricio Nuñez, Manuel Arce, Fanny Guzmán, Carolina Yáñez, Ximena Besoain and Roberto Bastías
Viruses 2024, 16(9), 1430; https://doi.org/10.3390/v16091430 - 7 Sep 2024
Viewed by 1708
Abstract
Bacteriophages have been proposed as biological controllers to protect plants against different bacterial pathogens. In this scenario, one of the main challenges is the low viability of phages in plants and under adverse environmental conditions. This work explores the use of 12 compounds [...] Read more.
Bacteriophages have been proposed as biological controllers to protect plants against different bacterial pathogens. In this scenario, one of the main challenges is the low viability of phages in plants and under adverse environmental conditions. This work explores the use of 12 compounds and 14 different formulations to increase the viability of a phage mixture that demonstrated biocontrol capacity against Pseudomonas syringae pv. actinidiae (Psa) in kiwi plants. The results showed that the viability of the phage mixture decreases at 44 °C, at a pH lower than 4, and under UV radiation. However, using excipients such as skim milk, casein, and glutamic acid can prevent the viability loss of the phages under these conditions. Likewise, it was demonstrated that the use of these compounds prolongs the presence of phages in kiwi plants from 48 h to at least 96 h. In addition, it was observed that phages remained stable for seven weeks when stored in powder with skim milk, casein, or sucrose after lyophilization and at 4 °C. Finally, the phages with glutamic acid, sucrose, or skim milk maintained their antimicrobial activity against Psa on kiwi leaves and persisted within kiwi plants when added through roots. This study contributes to overcoming the challenges associated with the use of phages as biological controllers in agriculture. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Bacteriophage-Based Biocontrol in Agriculture, 2nd Edition)
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17 pages, 3900 KiB  
Article
Isolation and Characterization of a Lytic Bacteriophage RH-42-1 of Erwinia amylovora from Orchard Soil in China
by Haishen Xi, Benzhong Fu, Qiang Sheng, Ming Luo and Liying Sun
Viruses 2024, 16(4), 509; https://doi.org/10.3390/v16040509 - 26 Mar 2024
Cited by 4 | Viewed by 2137
Abstract
Fire blight, caused by the bacterium Erwinia amylovora, is a major threat to pear production worldwide. Bacteriophages, viruses that infect bacteria, are a promising alternative to antibiotics for controlling fire blight. In this study, we isolated a novel bacteriophage, RH-42-1, from Xinjiang, [...] Read more.
Fire blight, caused by the bacterium Erwinia amylovora, is a major threat to pear production worldwide. Bacteriophages, viruses that infect bacteria, are a promising alternative to antibiotics for controlling fire blight. In this study, we isolated a novel bacteriophage, RH-42-1, from Xinjiang, China. We characterized its biological properties, including host range, plaque morphology, infection dynamics, stability, and sensitivity to various chemicals. RH-42-1 infected several E. amylovora strains but not all. It produced clear, uniform plaques and exhibited optimal infectivity at a multiplicity of infection (MOI) of 1, reaching a high titer of 9.6 × 109 plaque-forming units (PFU)/mL. The bacteriophage had a short latent period (10 min), a burst size of 207 PFU/cell, and followed a sigmoidal one-step growth curve. It was stable at temperatures up to 60 °C but declined rapidly at higher temperatures. RH-42-1 remained viable within a pH range of 5 to 9 and was sensitive to extreme pH values. The bacteriophage demonstrates sustained activity upon exposure to ultraviolet radiation for 60 min, albeit with a marginal reduction. In our assays, it exhibited a certain level of resistance to 5% chloroform (CHCl3), 5% isopropanol (C3H8O), and 3% hydrogen peroxide (H2O2), which had little effect on its activity, whereas it showed sensitivity to 75% ethanol (C2H5OH). Electron microscopy revealed that RH-42-1 has a tadpole-shaped morphology. Its genome size is 14,942 bp with a GC content of 48.19%. Based on these characteristics, RH-42-1 was identified as a member of the Tectiviridae family, Alphatectivirus genus. This is the first report of a bacteriophage in this genus with activity against E. amylovora. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Bacteriophage-Based Biocontrol in Agriculture, 2nd Edition)
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16 pages, 2818 KiB  
Article
Improved Viability of Spray-Dried Pantoea agglomerans for Phage-Carrier Mediated Control of Fire Blight
by Nassereldin Ibrahim, Darlene Nesbitt, Qian (Tracy) Guo, Janet Lin, Antonet Svircev, Qi Wang, Joel T. Weadge and Hany Anany
Viruses 2024, 16(2), 257; https://doi.org/10.3390/v16020257 - 6 Feb 2024
Cited by 3 | Viewed by 1922
Abstract
Fire blight, caused by Erwinia amylovora, is a devastating bacterial disease that threatens apple and pear production. It is mainly controlled by using antibiotics, such as streptomycin. Due to development of E. amylovora resistant strains and the excessive agricultural use of antibiotics, [...] Read more.
Fire blight, caused by Erwinia amylovora, is a devastating bacterial disease that threatens apple and pear production. It is mainly controlled by using antibiotics, such as streptomycin. Due to development of E. amylovora resistant strains and the excessive agricultural use of antibiotics, there is an increased awareness of the possibility of antibiotic resistance gene transfer to other microbes. Urgent development of biocontrol agents (BCAs) is needed that can be incorporated into integrated pest management programs as antibiotic alternatives. A novel phage-carrier system (PCS) that combines an antagonistic bacterium, Pantoea agglomerans, with its ability to act as a phage-carrier bacterium for Erwinia phages has been developed. The low viability of P. agglomerans cells following spray-drying (SD) has been a challenge for the industrial-scale production of this PCS. Here, an SD protocol was developed for P. agglomerans by modifying the growth medium and bacterial cell formulation using D(+)-trehalose and maltodextrin. The developed protocol is amenable to the industrial-scale production of the BCA/PCS. The P. agglomerans viability was greater than 90% after SD and had a shelf life at 4 °C of 4 months, and reconstituted cells showed a 3 log reduction in E. amylovora counts with a pear disc assay. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Bacteriophage-Based Biocontrol in Agriculture, 2nd Edition)
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18 pages, 664 KiB  
Conference Report
ECOPHAGE: Combating Antimicrobial Resistance Using Bacteriophages for Eco-Sustainable Agriculture and Food Systems
by Pilar García, Rafael Tabla, Hany Anany, Roberto Bastias, Lone Brøndsted, Susana Casado, Pablo Cifuentes, John Deaton, Thomas G. Denes, Mohammad Aminul Islam, Rob Lavigne, Andrea I. Moreno-Switt, Natsuko Nakayama, Cristina Muñoz Madero, Alexander Sulakvelidze, Antonet M. Svircev, Jeroen Wagemans, Elena G. Biosca and Dácil Rivera
Viruses 2023, 15(11), 2224; https://doi.org/10.3390/v15112224 - 8 Nov 2023
Cited by 4 | Viewed by 3344
Abstract
The focus of this meeting was to discuss the suitability of using bacteriophages as alternative antimicrobials in the agrifood sector. Following a One Health approach, the workshop explored the possibilities of implementing phage application strategies in the agriculture, animal husbandry, aquaculture, and food [...] Read more.
The focus of this meeting was to discuss the suitability of using bacteriophages as alternative antimicrobials in the agrifood sector. Following a One Health approach, the workshop explored the possibilities of implementing phage application strategies in the agriculture, animal husbandry, aquaculture, and food production sectors. Therefore, the meeting had gathered phage researchers, representatives of the agrifood industry, and policymakers to debate the advantages and potential shortcomings of using bacteriophages as alternatives to traditional antimicrobials and chemical pesticides. Industry delegates showed the latest objectives and demands from consumers. Representatives of regulatory agencies (European Medicines Agency (EMA) and Spanish Agency of Medicines and Health Products (AEMPS)) presented an update of new regulatory aspects that will impact and support the approval and implementation of phage application strategies across the different sectors. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Bacteriophage-Based Biocontrol in Agriculture, 2nd Edition)
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