The strawberry strain TP3 of Paenibacillus polymyxa revealed a function of fusA to induce systemic disease resistance in strawberry. The disruption of the fusA gene essential for the synthesis of fusaricidins, reduced the bacterium's ability to control anthracnose diseases in strawberry. Lacking fusaricidins led a significant decrease in the bacterial ability to inhibit fungal growth and suppress anthracnose symptoms. This study successfully validates the decisive role of P. polymyxa fusaricidins in triggering systemic resistance in strawberries, providing a solid scientific basis for applying P. polymyxa in sustainable agriculture for healthy crop promotion.
Reference link: Lee, B.Y., Lin, C.H., Yang, Y.L., and Chen, C.Y. 2026. Systemic resistance to strawberry anthracnose induced by Paenibacillus polymyxa TP3 requires the fusaricidin synthetase gene fusA. Plant Disease 110(5):1966-1974.
