The isolation of bacteria was carried out from samples of straw and chicken manure, compost at various stages of the composting process and casing soil used for growing button mushrooms. A preliminary screening of 108 bacterial isolates for antagonistic activity against Trichoderma aggressivum f. europaeum showed that 23 tested isolates inhibited mycelial growth of the pathogenic fungus. Further screening with four indicator isolates of fungi revealed that all 23 bacterial isolates inhibited the growth of T. aggressivum f. europaeum, T. harzianum and T. koningii, while only 13 isolates inhibited the growth of T. atroviride. T. aggressivum f. europaeum proved to be the most sensitive, with many bacterial isolates generating a high percentage of growth inhibition. Only two bacterial isolates (B-129 and B-268) were successful in inhibiting the growth of all 4 tested pathogens. All 23 bacterial isolates were characterized as Gram-positive and catalase-positive and were subjected to molecular identification based on the partial sequence, the hypervariant region of the 16S rDNA. It was shown that the obtained bacterial strains belong to Bacillus subtilis, B. amyloliquefaciens, B. licheniformis and B. pumilus species.

In this work, we demonstrate that the rhizosphere of common duckweed (Lemna minor) is inhabited with various phenol-resistant bacterial strains. Based on 16S rRNA sequencing, we have identified 60 rhizosphere-associated bacterial isolates belonging to 10 different bacterial genera (Pseudomonas, Hafnia, Serratia, Enterobacter, Micrococcus, Stenotrophomonas, Xanthomonas, Bacillus, Staphylococcus and Klebsiella). All isolates have been tested for phenol resistance and ability to utilize phenol as the sole carbon source. 70% of all isolates survived high doses of phenol (≥200 mg/L) and at least 27% can be potentially acclimatized by gradual increase of phenol concentration. Finally, based on high phenol resistance, ability to utilize phenol as the sole carbon source and documented low pathogenicity, we propose 5 strains as potentially excellent candidates for bioremediation. These 5 strains taxonomically correspond to Klebsiella sp., Serratia sp., and Hafnia sp., respectively. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first attempt to assess decontamination capacity of Serratia nematodiphila and Hafnia sp. in the context of bioremediation of phenol-contaminated aqueous media. Although additional analyses are needed, interaction between the common duckweed and the selected bacterial strains may be utilized in future bioremediation strategies.

The study aimed to investigate the physico-chemical properties as well as phytoplankton and bacterial community diversity of Bovan Lake reservoir in Serbia to gain insight into the seasonal dynamic of water quality. All analyses were performed at three localities and water depths in spring, summer, autumn, and winter 2019. Seven phytoplankton phyla comprising 139 taxa were detected at all three localities (Chlorophyta 58%, Bacillariophyta 14%, Cyanobacteria 9%, Chrysophyta 5%, Dinophyta 5%, Euglenophyta 5%, and Cryptophyta 4%). Winter 2019 was characterized by the presence of 36 unique species in all phyla except Euglenophyta. Bacterial diversity analyses showed that Proteobacteria, Actinobacteria, Bacteroidetes, Cyanobacteria, and Verrucomicrobia dominated the water intake locality at all three water depths (0.5, 10, and 20 m below the surface). In general, the physico-chemical parameters, phytoplankton, and bacterial community composition depended on the season and the water depth and showed that Bovan Lake was of satisfactory ecological status and water quality at all localities, and meets the needs for all intended purposes.