Bioprocessing strategies for biofungicide and biofertilizer production

During the past decades, various groups of microorganisms including bacteria, yeasts, and filamentous fungi have been screened for antagonistic activities against certain plant pathogens and numerous effective antagonists have been reported. Among them, Bacillus subtilis is one of the most promising antagonists due to its ability to produce various antimicrobial compounds that contribute to its biocontrol capability. Recent advances in biochemical and molecular studies of mycoparasitism reveal that several modes of action play an essential role in the biocontrol activity of B.subtilis against plant pathogens; these include the release of cell wall degrading enzymes (CWD-enzymes) such as ß 1, 4 endoglucanase. The main objective of this work is to produce ß 1,4 endoglucanase enzyme, which has a potent antifungal and plant growth stimulation effects and to scale-up its production from shake flask to bench-top scale bioreactor.