Influence of disease-suppressive strains of Streptomyces on the native Streptomyces community in soil as determined by the analysis of cellular fatty acids

Analysis of cellular fatty acid profiles was used to distinguish among introduced pathogen- suppressive strains and indigenous strains of Streptomyces spp. isolated from soil of field plots established to test the efficacy of Streptomyces strains PonSSII and PonR in the biological control of potato scab. Reference libraries of fatty acid profiles were developed for a collection of known pathogenic strains and the introduced suppressive strains. Population densities of pathogen-related, suppressive, and saprophytic Streptomyces strains were determined from the relationship of field isolates to mean library profiles using cluster analysis and the unweighted pair-group method using arithmetic averages. Community diversity was similarly determined. Streptomyces strains PonSSII and PonR were distinguished from each other and from the pathogen group (which clustered together) based on fatty acid profiles. The introduced, suppressive strains successfully colonized the soil and represented 2-19% of the isolates sampled over 2 years. The introduction of the suppressive strains inhibited the population of strains related to the pathogen library at each sample date; the pathogen population was substantially lower in soil from treatments where the suppressive strains were introduced compared with the nonamended control. At harvest, the pathogen-related population was suppressed 85-93 and 36-44% in 1991 and 1992, respectively, in treatments with the suppressive strains compared with the nonamended control. Diversity of the community was not affected by the introduced strains, and diversity and equitability indices were similar among treatments at any sample time. The inhibition of the pathogen-related population was correlated with a reduction of scab symptoms observed in the field plots into which the suppressive strains were introduced. Implications of a fundamental shift in the pathogen-related population in response to the introduction of the suppressive strains for long-term biological control of potato scab are encouraging.