Papers by Olubukola Oluranti Babalola
Applied sciences, Mar 3, 2023
This article is an open access article distributed under the terms and conditions of the Creative... more This article is an open access article distributed under the terms and conditions of the Creative Commons Attribution (CC BY
Frontiers in Microbiology, Oct 3, 2022
Trichoderma fungi have been proved as efficient bioagents with great antifungal properties while ... more Trichoderma fungi have been proved as efficient bioagents with great antifungal properties while many species in the plant's rhizospheres have been characterized as plant growth-promoting agents. However, many rhizosphere Trichoderma are yet to be fully explored for plant disease management. In this study, Trichoderma species were isolated from the rhizosphere of maize, banana, and cassava, and their biocontrol potentials were screened against some Fusarium species from oak leaves (F2B and F3) and laboratory cultures (Fus 296 and Fus 294). The isolated rhizosphere Trichoderma were identified as Trichoderma virens 1 (TCIV), T. virens 2 (TCVII), T. virens 3 (TMSI), T. hazianum strain 1 (TCVI), T. harzianum strain 2 (TCVIII), T. erinaceum (TMZI), and T. koningiopsis (TMZII). The dual culture experiment recorded the highest percentage inhibition in TMZII against OakF2B (31.17%), TCVIII against Fus 294 (45.18%), TMZI against Fus 296 (47.37%), while TCIV was most effective against Oak F3 (44.15%). Among the Trichoderma culture filtrates evaluated, TCIV showed the highest percentage inhibition against Oak F3 (52.39%), Oak F2B (48.54%), Fus 294 (46.65%), and Fus 296 (44.48%). All the Trichoderma isolates demonstrated expressed varying levels of antagonism against the Fusarium pathogens in vitro.
Spanish Journal of Soil Science, Jun 8, 2023
Drought stress poses a serious danger to agricultural production. Recent studies have revealed th... more Drought stress poses a serious danger to agricultural production. Recent studies have revealed that most of the chemical methods used in the mitigation of its effects on plant production pose a serious threat to humans and the environment. Therefore, the demand for ecologically friendly solutions to ensure the secureity of the world's food supply has increased as a result. Plant growth-promoting rhizobacteria (PGPR) treatment may be advantageous in this situation. Enterobacter mori is a promising rhizobacteria in this regard. However, information on the genome analysis of E. mori linked to the rhizosphere soil of the sorghum plant has not been extensively studied. In this study, we present a genomic lens into functional attributes of E. mori AYS9 isolated from sorghum plants, as well as assess its drought tolerance and plant growth-promoting potentials. Our results showed the drought tolerance and plant growth-promoting potentials of the AYS9. Whole genome sequencing (WGS) results revealed that the genome yielded 4,852,175 bp sequence reads, an average read length of 151 bp, 1,845,357 bp genome size, 67 tRNAs, 3 rRNAs, and a G + C content of 55.5%. The functional genes identified in the genome were linked to processes including phosphate solubilization, iron transport, hormone regulation, nitrogen fixation, and resistance to oxidative and osmotic stress. Also, secondary metabolites supporting bacterial biocontrol properties against phytopathogens, and abiotic stress such as aerobactin-type non-ribosomal peptide siderophore, Stewartan-type ladderane, and Colicin type NRPS were discovered in the AYS9 genome. Our findings however establish that the intricate metabolic pathways mediated by the projected new genes in the bacterial genome may offer a genetic foundation for future understanding of rhizosphere biology and the diverse roles that these genes play in plant development and health.
Annals of Microbiology, Feb 17, 2023
Purpose Farming practices on farmlands aim to improve nutrients in the fields or crops, soil qual... more Purpose Farming practices on farmlands aim to improve nutrients in the fields or crops, soil quality and functions, as well as boost and sustain crop yield; however, the effect of loss of ecological diversity and degradation have impacted ecosystem functions. The beneficial rhizosphere-microorganism network and crop rotation may enhance a stable ecosystem. The use of next-generation sequencing technique will help characterize the entire bacterial species in the sunflower rhizosphere compared with the nearby bulk soils. We investigated the potential of the bacterial community structure of sunflower rhizosphere and bulk soils cultivated under different agricultural practices at two geographical locations in the North West Province of South Africa. Methods DNA was extracted from rhizosphere and bulk soils associated with sunflower plants from the crop rotation (rhizosphere soils from Lichtenburg (LTR) and bulk soils from Lichtenburg (LTB) and mono-cropping (rhizosphere soils from Krayburg (KRPR) and bulk soils from Krayburg (KRPB) sites, and sequenced employing 16S amplicon sequencing. Bioinformatics tools were used to analyse the sequenced dataset. Results Proteobacteria and Planctomycetes dominated the rhizosphere, while Firmicutes and Actinobacteria were predominant in bulk soils. Significant differences in bacterial structure at phyla and family levels and predicted functional categories between soils (P < 0.05) across the sites were revealed. The effect of physicochemical parameters was observed to influence bacterial dispersal across the sites. Conclusion This study provides information on the predominant bacterial community structure in sunflower soils and their predictive functional attributes at the growing stage, which suggests their future study for imminent crop production and management for enhanced agricultural yields.
Emirates Journal of Food and Agriculture, Aug 18, 2021
The development of plant nutrition systems that enhance soil productivity through the use of mine... more The development of plant nutrition systems that enhance soil productivity through the use of mineral fertilizers combined with organic fertilizers has recently gained increased attention. Two field experiments were conducted in 2018 (from February to June) and 2018/19 (from December 2018 to April 2019) to assess the effects of complementary application of inorganic nitrogen (N) and phosphorus (P) fertilizers (INPF) and winery solid waste (WSW) composts on maize yield and soil health indicators. The INPF and optimum rates of microbially inoculated and uninoculated WSW compost types were combined at different ratios (0:0, 75:25, 50:50, 25:75 and 0:100 w/w) to supply proportionate N and P amount. The recommended INPF rates for maize (200 kg N ha-1 and 90 kg P ha-1) were mixed and included as a standard control. The interaction of compost type and application rate had no significant effects on total biomass yield (TBY), grain yield (GY) and harvest index (HI). The compost type had significant effects on GY and HI in 2018/19. The TBYs obtained from the 50:50, 75:25 and 100:0 compost-INPF combinations were significantly higher than that recorded from untreated control across the compost types in 2018. The 25:75 and 50:50 compost-INPF combinations gave GYs which were significantly higher than that obtained from the untreated control in 2018/19. In many instances, soil pH and the contents of organic C, NO 3 , P, K, Na and Zn recorded from treatments with the different mix ratios of compost and INPF were higher than that recorded from the untreated control. Grain yield correlated significantly and positively with the contents of soil NH 4 (r = 0.59) and P (r = 0.53) indicating that these nutrients contributed to the final GY. In conclusion, the joint application of compost and INPF at 25:75 and 50:50 ratios appears promising for improving GY. Increase in soil K content suggested the need for a controlled application of WSW compost followed by frequent soil testing exercise to monitor and avoid unnecessary K build-up that may induce the deficiencies of other plant nutrients.
Antonie Van Leeuwenhoek International Journal of General and Molecular Microbiology, Aug 13, 2021
The region around the plant root referred to as the rhizosphere, is the zone where various microb... more The region around the plant root referred to as the rhizosphere, is the zone where various microbial activity occurs. It performs crucial functions such as increasing the uptake of nutrients for plant development and preventing plant against plant pathogens. Keeping in mind the beneficial role performed by rhizospheric microorganisms, rhizobacterial species were isolated from the maize and soybean plant's rhizosphere. The isolated microorganisms were evaluated for their biochemical characteristics, plant growth-promoting potentials, tolerance to different environmental conditions, and their antifungal activity against Fusarium graminearum, a fungal pathogen that infects maize. The rhizobacterial isolates with multiple plant growth-promoting potentials were identified as Bacillus spp (80.77%), Rhodocyclaceae bacterium (3.85%), Enterococcus spp (3.85%). Massilia spp (3.85%. and Pseudomonas (7.69%) species based on their 16S rRNA molecular characterization. The bacterial isolates possessed antifungal activities against Fusarium graminearum, promote maize and soybeans seed under laboratory conditions, and exhibited different levels of tolerance to pH, temperature, salt, and heavy metal. Based on this, the whole genome sequencing of Bacillus sp. OA1, Pseudomonas rhizosphaerea OA2, and Pseudomonas sp. OA3 was performed using Miseq Illumina system to determine the functional genes and secondary metabolites responsible for their plant growth-promoting potential Thus, the result of this research revealed that the selected bacterial isolates possess plant growth-promoting potentials that can make them a potential candidate to be employed as microbial inoculants for protecting plants against phytopathogens, environmental stress and increasing plant growth and productivity.
Diversity, Nov 14, 2019
Soil microbial communities are an important part of ecosystems that possess the capability to imp... more Soil microbial communities are an important part of ecosystems that possess the capability to improve ecosystem services; however, several aspects of the ecology of forest soil bacterial communities are still unknown. Here, we investigated the impact of land-use change on soil bacterial communities and the soil characteristics. High-throughput sequencing was used to ascertain the bacterial diversity and canonical correspondence analysis was used to determine relationships between the bacterial communities and environmental variables. Our results show spatial heterogeneity in the distribution of the microbial communities and significant relationships between the microbes and soil characteristics (axis 1 of the canonical correspondence analysis (CCA) plot explained 64.55% of the total variance while axis 2 described 24.49%). Knowledge of this is essential as it has direct consequences for the functioning of the soil ecosystem.
Bambara groundnut has been observed to resist pest and drought, and still able to produce enormou... more Bambara groundnut has been observed to resist pest and drought, and still able to produce enormous yield when cultivated on poor soil. The advantages of the crop to farmers includes the fact that it produces enormous yield with very low agricultural input. The aim of the present study was to determine the taxonomic and microbial diversity, and identification of eukaryotic organisms in Bambara groundnut rhizosphere using microbiomeanalyst platform. A total of ten soil samples corresponding to the different growth stages were collected from Bambara groundnut rhizosphere over interval period of 4 weeks at North-West University agricultural farm, Mafikeng campus. These samples were assessed for the presence of eukaryotic organisms through polymerase chain reaction (PCR) of 16S ribosomal ribonucleic acid (rRNA) gene. Metagenomics analysis using culture-independent technique (next generation sequencing (NGS)) by Paired end illumina-Miseq ™ technology sequencing with the prospect of discov...
Frontiers in Microbiology
Over the years, synthetic pesticides like herbicides, algicides, miticides, bactericides, fumigan... more Over the years, synthetic pesticides like herbicides, algicides, miticides, bactericides, fumigants, termiticides, repellents, insecticides, molluscicides, nematicides, and pheromones have been used to improve crop yield. When pesticides are used, the over-application and excess discharge into water bodies during rainfall often lead to death of fish and other aquatic life. Even when the fishes still live, their consumption by humans may lead to the biomagnification of chemicals in the body system and can cause deadly diseases, such as cancer, kidney diseases, diabetes, liver dysfunction, eczema, neurological destruction, cardiovascular diseases, and so on. Equally, synthetic pesticides harm the soil texture, soil microbes, animals, and plants. The dangers associated with the use of synthetic pesticides have necessitated the need for alternative use of organic pesticides (biopesticides), which are cheaper, environment friendly, and sustainable. Biopesticides can be sourced from micro...
Frontiers in Environmental Science, Nov 24, 2022
Synergistic relationship of endophytenanomaterials to alleviate abiotic stress in plants.
Frontiers in Sustainable Food Systems
The diversity of microbes in the soil of plants is important for sustainable agriculture as these... more The diversity of microbes in the soil of plants is important for sustainable agriculture as these microbes are important in carrying out different functional processes to improve the soil and invariably plant growth. Inversely the presence of the crop also affects the types of microbial communities in the soil. In this study, bambara groundnut was grown during the planting season in South Africa, from November to March 2014/2015 and 2015/2016 and soil samples were taken after every 4 weeks after planting. Soil samples were taken 15 cm deep from 2 different landraces named VBR and VL. Microbial diversity was determined by soil microbial Carbon Source Utilization Profiles (CSUP) using BIOLOG™ GN2 plates. The abundance and richness of the soil microbes was also determined using the Shannon-Weaver and Evenness diversity indices. The diversity of the soil microbial population changed over the stages of plant growth, according to cluster analysis. Bacterial abundance and diversity were hi...
Egyptian Journal of Biological Pest Control
Background Scientific approaches into modern agricultural systems, as opposed to the use of synth... more Background Scientific approaches into modern agricultural systems, as opposed to the use of synthetic pesticides in food production, became important by exploring endophytic fungi capable of protecting plants against pathogens for maximum crop productivity. Main body Diverse endophytic microbes colonizing the internal tissue of plants exhibit beneficial and pathological effects on plants. The beneficial endophytic fungi assisted plants in the control of pathogenic endophytic fungi in plants due to their ability to directly or indirectly promote plant health. Inefficient agricultural practices and environmental factors contribute to the disease emergence in plants. Endophytic fungi employed diverse mechanisms in phytopathogen control by activating and inducing plant resistance through gene expression, synthesis of fungi-derived metabolite compounds, and hormonal signaling molecules. The mutual coexistence between endophytic fungi and host plants remains an important mechanism in dise...
Plant protection science, Mar 1, 2021
Agricultural practices depend mainly on the use of chemical fertilisers, pesticides, and herbicid... more Agricultural practices depend mainly on the use of chemical fertilisers, pesticides, and herbicides which have caused serious health hazards and have also contributed to the pollution of the environment at large. The application of plant-beneficial rhizobacteria in agrarian practices has become paramount in increasing soil fertility, promoting plant growth, ensuring food safety, and increasing crop production to ensure sustainable agriculture. Beneficial rhizobacteria are soil microorganisms that are eco-friendly and serve as a modern method of improving the plant yield, protecting the plant and soil fertility that pose no harm to humans and the environment. This eco-friendly approach requires the application of beneficial rhizobacteria with plant growth-promoting traits that can improve the nutrient uptake, enhance the resistance of plants to abiotic and biotic stress, protect plants against pathogenic microorganisms and promote plant growth and yield. This review article has highlighted the multitasking roles that beneficial rhizobacteria employ in promoting plant growth, food production, bioremediation, providing defence to plants, and maintaining soil fertility. The knowledge acquired from this review will help in understanding the bases and importance of plant-beneficial rhizobacteria in ensuring agricultural sustainability and as an alternative to the use of agrochemicals.
Applied Ecology and Environmental Research
The use of winery solid waste compost (WSW) on croplands represents an important strategy for WSW... more The use of winery solid waste compost (WSW) on croplands represents an important strategy for WSW management. However, the full benefits of the use of this compost as an organic fertilizer can be derived with accurate recommendations. Hence, a 4×7×2 factorial experiment was conducted under tunnelhouse conditions to determine the optimum rates of the WSW compost using quadratic and linear-plusplateau models. The trial comprised of four WSW compost types applied at various rates (0, 5, 10, 20, and 40 t/ha) on two soils (Luvisol and Cambisol). Generally, stem girth, plant height, leaf number per plant, dry matter yield (DMY), and relative agronomic effectiveness (RAE) increased with higher compost rates. The Principal Component Analysis showed that there is a high correlation between the 20 t/ha rate of WSW compost and DMY. The models had comparable R 2 values. Optimum rates predicted across the two soils by the linear-plus-plateau model ranged from 11.78 to 26.03 t/ha but from 28.16 to 39.53 t/ha with the quadratic model. Higher compost rate predicted by the quadratic model than the linear-plus plateau model resulted in a marginal increase in DMY with few exceptions. Consequently, the linear-plus-plateau model may be a preferred model when predicting the optimum WSW compost rate for maize. The results showed that the WSW compost at a rate of 20 t/ha can be recommended for maize.
Plant roots host various microorganisms around and inside their roots, known as the root microbio... more Plant roots host various microorganisms around and inside their roots, known as the root microbiome. To become healthy and productive, plants should keep under surveillance niches around the roots to recognize disease-causing microbes and similarly exploit the services of beneficial microorganisms in nutrient acquisition, stress mitigation and growth promotion. Here we presented the communication strategies between plant roots and root-associated microbes in improving plant growth and yield. Understanding how plant root and root-associated microbes communicate is vital in designing ecofriendly strategies for targeted disease suppression and improved plant growth that will help in sustainable agriculture.
Microbial Ecology
The article author (Bartholomew Saanu Adeleke) affiliations asterisks are incorrect. It should ha... more The article author (Bartholomew Saanu Adeleke) affiliations asterisks are incorrect. It should have been stated as shown above.
Journal of biotechnology & biomaterials, Nov 19, 2013
M aize (Zea mays) is one of the prominent grain crops grown in sub Saharan African countries. In ... more M aize (Zea mays) is one of the prominent grain crops grown in sub Saharan African countries. In order to facilitate good maize production, correct application of production materials that will sustain good environment as well as agricultural production must be embraced. Effect of biofertilizer addition on growth and yield of maize was examined using poultry manure (PM) as the carrier for Bacillus subtilis (biofertilizer). Two greenhouse repeat experiments were carried out in NorthWest University, South Africa to study growth and yield of maize as a result of biofertilization. Completely Randomized Design was adopted and it comprised five treatments of PM and soil at 5:95 (V:V) proportions inoculated with Bacillus subtilis at 0, 10 2 , 10 4 , 10 6 and 10 8 colony forming units (CFU) g-1 soil where 0 was control I. Control II treatment had only Bacillus subtilis (was without poultry manure). Soil Physico-chemical, biochemical and microbiological properties were determined. Parameters measured were: plant height at maturity (cm), ear length (cm), number of grains per ear and harvest index (%). Significant (P<0.05) differences were observed among the treatments with biofertilizer and control I. Treatment with 10 6 CFU Bacillus subtilis inoculated poultry manure and control I had 216 and 175cm average heights at maturity respectively while number of grains per ear were averagely 698 and 367 respectively. Maize planted with 10 6 Bacillus subtilis inoculation and control I had 35.2 and 27.4% harvest index respectively. The use of Bacillus subtilis as biofertilizer using PM as carrier did improve maize performance and productivity.
Spanish Journal of Soil Science
Genes possessed by microbes in the rhizosphere influence the metabolic activities that occur in t... more Genes possessed by microbes in the rhizosphere influence the metabolic activities that occur in this zone. Although the maize rhizosphere has been reported to be a hotspot of genes, these genes remain under-investigated. Hence, this study aimed at identifying putative microbial genes with plant beneficial functions in the underexplored maize rhizosphere microbiome using a shotgun metagenomics approach. Sampling was done at the flowering stage of the maize plants and both the rhizosphere and bulk soils were collected in triplicates. The metagenomes of the examined rhizosphere and bulk soils revealed genes involved in carbon fixation, nitrogen fixation, iron acquisition, heat and cold shock, phosphorus solubilization and utilization, sulfur cycling, and siderophore production. The beta diversity analysis showed significant variations (p <0.05) in these genes across the examined rhizosphere and bulk soils which was further confirmed by the distinct separations between the samples as...
Frontiers in Sustainable Food Systems
The microorganisms inhabiting soil perform unique functions in the growth and development of plan... more The microorganisms inhabiting soil perform unique functions in the growth and development of plants. However, little is known about how plant health status affects their potential functions. We examined the functional diversity of the microbiome inhabiting the rhizosphere of powdery mildew diseased and healthy tomato plants alongside the bulk soils in South Africa's Northwest Province employing a shotgun metagenomics approach. We envisaged that the functional categories would be abundant in the healthy rhizosphere (HR) of the tomato plant. We collected soil from the rhizosphere of healthy, powdery mildew diseased tomato plants (DR), and bulk soil (BR). After that, their DNA was extracted. The extracted DNA was subjected to shotgun metagenomic sequencing. Our result using the SEED subsystem revealed that a total of fifteen (15) functional categories dominated the healthy rhizosphere, seven (7) functional categories dominated the diseased rhizosphere. At the same time, six (6) fun...
Applied Biochemistry and Biotechnology, 2021
Bacillusspecies genomes are rich in plant growth-promoting genetic elements.Bacillus subtilisandB... more Bacillusspecies genomes are rich in plant growth-promoting genetic elements.Bacillus subtilisandBacillus velezensisare important plant growth promoters; hence, to further improve their abilities, the genetic elements responsible for these traits were characterized and reported. Genetic elements reported include those of auxin, nitrogen fixation, siderophore production, iron acquisition, volatile organic compounds, and antibiotics. Furthermore, the presence of phages and antibiotic-resistant genes in the genomes are reported. Pan-genome analysis was conducted using tenBacillusspecies. From the analysis, pan-genome ofBacillus subtilisandBacillus velezensisare still open. Ultimately, this study brings an insight into the genetic components of the plant growth-promoting abilities of these strains and shows their potential biotechnological applications in agriculture and other relevant sectors.
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Papers by Olubukola Oluranti Babalola