Question

1.How do Biocontrol genes for plant transformation be a novel approach to forest plant disease control? Please give examples/studies

2. Please give examples/studies on the use of microbial consortia for enhancing biocontrol activity against forest plant pathogens

3. Please explain why the use of regulators for expression of biocontrol genes can promote the efficacy of biocontrols

Answer 1

1. Biocontrol is a method which involve biological agent to control plant diseases. In specific, biocontrol gene is a segment of DNA which acts an antagonist for pathogens of plant diseases. It involves techniques of genetic engineering. Gene of inerest is transferred to the forest gene by recombinant tecchnology to control the disease or infction. Example: WCS358r - pseudomonas putida genetically engineered to produce phenazine and DAPG which provides capacities to suppress plant diseases. Another example involves, insertion of gene encode antifungal endochitinase from the mycoparasitic fungus Trichoderma harzianum.

2. Microbial consortia applications are emerging promising field in the biocontrol of plant pathogens. Examples incllude: PGP rhizobacteria, a non-pathogenic Pseudomonas and Bacillus, Azotobacter, Serratia, Azospirillum are shown to improve the nutrient availability and various other defence against the plant diseases. The diversity of species of microbial consortia involve environmental conditions and also encompass 16S rDNA sequences with a universal primer set and metagenomic DNA isolated from diverse environments.

3. Regulators are which involve in regulation of gene expression employed mechanism by the cell to increase or decrease the production of specific gene products. It often occur as a a gene regulatory network in which one gene regulator controls another, and so on. Therefore, by means of altering the expression the desired efficacy can be achieved.