A team from the Institut national de la recherche scientifique (INRS) has identified beneficial bacteria that can stimulate tomato plant growth while protecting crops against bacterial canker, a disease that can cause significant production losses. Their findings pave the way for the development of new biological solutions that could help reduce reliance on certain chemical inputs in agriculture.
Bacterial canker, caused by Clavibacter michiganensis, is a disease that is particularly difficult to control, especially in greenhouse production. To identify sustainable alternatives, INRS Professor Éric Déziel and his team screened more than 500 bacterial strains from its microorganism collection, previously isolated from fields growing a variety of crops.
The results were published today in the journal Applied and Environmental Microbiology of the American Society for Microbiology (ASM).
A Dual Benefit for Healthier Crops
The research team identified three particularly promising bacterial strains. One delayed the appearance of disease symptoms by up to seven days in tomato plants exposed to the pathogen and significantly reduced disease severity. Two others also demonstrated their ability to protect plants while promoting growth.
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