Novel sustainable encapsulation agents for phage PYO4 biocontrol of Ralstonia solanacearum strain UW551
2025
Negroni, Alba | Helsingin yliopisto, Maatalous-metsätieteellinen tiedekunta | University of Helsinki, Faculty of Agriculture and Forestry | Helsingfors universitet, Agrikultur-forstvetenskapliga fakulteten
Ralstonia solanacearum (RS) is a soil-born bacterial phytopathogen responsible for bacterial wilt disease in a wide range of economically important crops worldwide. Bacteriophage biocontrol has emerged as a promising sustainable wilt disease management method. However, the development of environmentally safe and effective formulations is needed. This thesis investigates the use of novel hemicellulose excipients – glucuronoxylans (GX) and galactoglucomannans (GGM) – for the encapsulation of phage PYO4, which targets specifically RS strain UW551. The efficacy of GX and GGM was compared to the conventional excipient maltodextrin (MD). Encapsulation was carried out via spray drying at two distinct temperatures, and the obtained powders were stored at two different thermal conditions. After 23 weeks of observation, the study concluded that GX was more efficient than GGM at preserving phage stability across all conditions. In vitro and in vivo experiments demonstrated that GX encapsulated phages had comparable efficiency against RS to that of MD formulations. The encapsulation significantly improved the phage biocontrol efficacy against wilt disease in Solanum lycopersicum. Interestingly, glucuronoxylan, in absence of phages, demonstrated a beneficial action against disease progression in vivo, suggesting a role in plant health promotion.
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