Specific detection of Lysobacter enzymogenes (Christensen and Cook 1978) strain 3.1T8 with TaqMan® PCR

Aims: To develop a strain-specific TaqMan (R) PCR method for detecting and quantifying the biocontrol strain Lysobacter enzymogenes 3.1T8. Methods and Results: A primer-probe combination was designed on the basis of a strain-specific sequence selected using REP-PCR (repetitive extragenic palindromic-polymerase chain reaction). The specificity of this combination was demonstrated by 14 other Lysobacter strains that did not react with the selected primer-probe combination. To quantify strain 3.1T8 in cucumber root samples, a calibration curve was prepared by spiking roots with a 10-fold dilution series of the strain. Detection of the biocontrol strain 3.1T8 with this method showed that the strain survived well for 22 days on root tips as well as on older cucumber roots. Survival was higher when the strain was inoculated to younger plants. In a cucumber production system with large volumes of substrate, strain 3.1T8 was detected in high numbers on cucumber roots 3 weeks after inoculation. Conclusions: The primer-probe combination developed was strain specific, because it did not react with other strains of the same species and genus. The TaqMan (R) PCR method successfully quantified the inoculated biocontrol strain on cucumber roots grown in different cropping systems. Significance and Impact of the Study: The developed TaqMan (R) PCR method is a strain-specific real-time detection method that can be used to assess the population dynamics of L. enzymogenes strain 3.1T8 for further optimization of its biocontrol efficacy.