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Turkish Journal of Agriculture and Forestry

Abstract

Citrus is one of the most important and widely cultivated fruit crops globally. However, its productivity is increasingly threatened by various diseases, with bacterial infections being particularly the most destructive. Among these, citrus canker, caused by Xanthomonas axonopodis pv. citri (Xac), poses a significant challenge, requiring effective management strategies. Traditional approaches have shown limited success, but nanotechnology has emerged as a promising alternative for disease control. In this study, Xanthomonas spp. was isolated from two locations: Koont Farm and the National Agricultural Research Centre (NARC) citrus orchards in Islamabad, Pakistan. The isolates were identified through morpho-biochemical methods. Moreover, three Bacillus isolates (AAUR-1, Btk-2, and NARC-3) were evaluated in combination with silver nanoparticles (AgNPs). Initially, the three Bacillus isolates were tested against Xanthomonas spp. using a dual culture assay. The results demonstrated that Btk-2 showed significant inhibitory activity against Xanthomonas spp. AgNPs were synthesized using the green method with Azadirachta indica leaf extract. Characterization techniques, including ultraviolet-visible spectroscopy (200–400 nm), scanning electron microscopy (15–20 nm in size), and energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy, confirmed formation of the AgNPs. AgNPs at concentrations of 1000, 1300, and 1500 ppm were evaluated for antibacterial activity against Xac using the disc diffusion method. The 1300 ppm concentration inhibited Xac by 0.1 mm, compared to 0.18 mm inhibition by streptomycin. The antibacterial efficacy of Btk-2 and AgNPs was further tested using the leaf-detach method. While untreated leaves developed symptoms, the AgNP-treated leaves showed resistance. Hence, it was concluded that the combination of Btk-2, AgNPs, and antibiotics like streptomycin can be an effective strategy to manage citrus canker caused by Xac.

Author ORCID Identifier

ZAINAB JAMIL: 0009-0001-8904-8777

TARIQ MUKHTAR: 0000-0002-0379-3320

MUHAMMAD RAJA: 0000-0003-0478-6656

MUHAMMAD SHAHBAZ: 0000-0002-6253-1769

JAYA SEELAN: 0000-0002-0045-6206

MUHAMMED TATAR: 0000-0002-8312-8434

AMJAD ALI: 0000-0003-0816-1872

NOOR FATIMA: 0009-0007-7001-0481

RAHMA BEJAOUI: 0000-0002-1269-8560

AYŞE USANMAZ BOZHÜYÜK: 0000-0003-2450-6850

DOI

10.55730/1300-011X.3319

Keywords

Phytogenic silver nanoparticles, bacterial biocontrol, citrus canker, nanotechnology, integrated disease management

First Page

998

Last Page

1008

Publisher

The Scientific and Technological Research Council of Türkiye (TÜBİTAK)

Creative Commons License

Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.

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