Rapeseed is an important oil crop strongly dependent on high agrochemical inputs. Some pathogens, including Leptosphaeria maculans, cause blackleg disease and can drastically decrease yields. Microbial inoculants seem to be a promising solution to these problems. However, a selection of potent bacterial strains able to improve growth and/or suppress disease is needed. Endophytic bacteria (n = 38) isolated from rapeseed plants with exceptionally good growth were screened for plant growth promoting (PGP) traits and L. maculans antifungal activity. A majority of isolates (35) showed the ability to produce siderophores, 17 isolates solubilized phosphate, and 28 isolates inhibited the growth of L. maculans. The six most promising isolates belonging to Bacillus genera were characterized in detail and compared to two previously published PGP strains. Plant growth measured as total weight and root length of rapeseed seedlings was stimulated by all isolates in comparison to control. The best isolate, 1L6, preliminary identified as Bacillus pumilus showed the highest phosphate solubilization, IAA and HCN production, and growth promotion of plants. Isolates with high antifungal activity in screening showed good potential to suppress disease on plants, with 87% reduction of lesions caused by L. maculans. These strains are good candidates to be explored under field use either solely or in combination.

Inoculation of Streptomyces to improve oilseed rape (Brassica napus L.) yields and minimise the use of chemical fertilisers is a promising sustainable strategy. In this study, we isolated 72 actinobacterial strains from rhizosphere of oilseed rape and maize and from bulk soil for screening and characterising their antimicrobial activity. Nine promising strains, identified as Streptomyces sp. by morphology, physiological characteristics, and 16S rRNA gene sequencing, were selected for their plant growth-promoting traits and in planta experiments. The actinobacterial strains were positive for IAA production, siderophore production, and HCN production. In planta experiments were conducted by soaking the oilseed rape seeds in the actinobacterial suspension, followed by plant growth under controlled conditions in a cultivate chamber (22–28 °C, 8 h dark/16 h light, constant humidity 80%). We recorded root and shoot length (cm) and seedling fresh weight (g). For most of the abovementioned parameters, a significant enhancement was observed with strain KmiRC20A118 treatment. The length of the root increased by 53.14%, the shoot length increased by 65.6%, and the weight of the fresh plant by 60% compared to the control. The integrated application of PGPS (Plant Growth Promoting Streptomyces) from the rhizosphere of oilseed rape is a promising strategy to improve the growth of oilseed rape.

Microbial communities on fresh-consumed plant products are an important predictor of quality and safety for the consumer. Totally, 45 samples of berry fruits (8 blackberries, 9 blueberries, 8 strawberries, 8 raspberries, 12 currants) and 40 samples of leafy vegetables (20 lettuce, 6 cornsalad, 8 rocket, 8 spinach) were analyzed using cultivation and DNA-depended methods. Total aerobic count, coliforms, and yeasts were significantly lower in fruits while counts of filamentous fungi were similar. Pantoea, Enterobacter, and Klebsiella were the most common colonies grown on VRBL agar. Salmonella was detected in single sample of cornsalad using qPCR but no sample contained Escherichia coli harboring stx1, stx2 and intimin genes. Sequencing of V4 region of bacteria 16S rRNA and ITS2 region of fungi amplified from plant tissue-extracted DNA confirmed different composition of fruit and vegetable microbiome. Pre-enrichment of bacteria in phosphate buffered water allowed deeper analysis of Enterobacteriaceae using V4–V5 region of 16S rRNA while differences among communities were described similarly. Pantoea, Klebsiella, or Staphylococcus were more frequent in berries while Pseudomonas, Flavobacterium, or Sphingobacterium in leafy vegetables. Comparison of inner and outer leaves of head-forming lettuces (6 iceberg, 5 romain) showed that outer leaves are colonized by more bacteria with higher diversity. Microbiological safety of fresh production requires more attention as the potentially pathogenic bacteria were detected, particularly in leafy vegetables. However, the true pathogenicity of such bacteria needs further research.

A plant microbiome is an important factor in plant growth, stress resistance, health status, and consumer quality and safety. The rhizosphere microbiome evolves in a negotiation between microbial communities that inhabit soil and plant root tissue. In this study, the rhizosphere and root internal tissue microbiome of six varieties of lettuce were analyzed in normal conditions and under salinity stress. The metabarcoding analysis used 16S rRNA gene and ITS2 region sequencing. The microbiomes of root samples were significantly less diverse with different members of the community compared to those of the rhizosphere. A significant effect of lettuce variety was found on the diversity index for bacteria and fungi. Varieties formed very different communities of bacteria in roots. Pseudomonas, Herbaspirillum, Mycobacterium, potentially pathogenic Enterobacter, and other genera were more prevalent in certain varieties. Salinity stress had a significant negative impact on bacterial diversity and community composition, whereas the diversity of fungi has not changed significantly, and the fungal community has changed less than the bacterial one. Changes were more evident in varieties that were more resistant to salinity stress than in sensitive varieties.