Wheat Seed Coating with Streptomyces sp. Strain DEF39 Spores Protects against Fusarium Head Blight

Abstract

Streptomycetes are promising candidates for the biological control of <i>Fusarium</i> Head Blight (FHB) in wheat. Studies involving the use of streptomycetes as biological control agents (BCAs) have been limited to the application when the wheat plant is developed, close to the infection on the spike during flowering. Here, we tested the effects of seed treatment with the <i>Streptomyces</i> sp. DEF39 spores before sowing on FHB symptoms' development. The seed treatment protected the plant from infection by <i>Fusarium graminearum</i> by 49% (<i>p</i> = 0.04). We traced <i>Streptomyces</i> sp. DEF39 in plant organs using strain-specific primers here developed, showing that the streptomycete acts as an endophyte, colonizing the plant tissues up to the spike as well as the roots. This work suggests that it is possible to use a streptomycete as a seed coating BCA, able to partially protect wheat from FHB disease.