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Biosurfactant-producing Bacillus spp. suppress Fusarium via fungal membrane disruption and promote cucumber growth
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  • Published: 17 February 2026

Biosurfactant-producing Bacillus spp. suppress Fusarium via fungal membrane disruption and promote cucumber growth

  • Anna Jasińska1,
  • Aleksandra Walaszczyk2,
  • Przemysław Bernat1,
  • Paweł Trzciński3,
  • Krzysztof Górnik3,
  • Lidia Sas-Paszt3 &
  • …
  • Katarzyna Paraszkiewicz1 

Scientific Reports , Article number:  (2026) Cite this article

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We are providing an unedited version of this manuscript to give early access to its findings. Before final publication, the manuscript will undergo further editing. Please note there may be errors present which affect the content, and all legal disclaimers apply.

Subjects

  • Applied microbiology
  • Biotechnology
  • Environmental biotechnology
  • Environmental microbiology
  • Environmental sciences
  • Microbiology

Abstract

The increasing demand for sustainable agricultural practices has led to the exploration of beneficial microorganisms that promote plant growth and enhance resistance to phytopathogens. In this study, we characterized the Kol B9 strain isolated from the rhizosphere of Vinca minor. Morphological, biochemical, and molecular analyses were used to identify the strain as a member of the genus Bacillus, belonging to the Bacillus subtilis group. The strain exhibited strong antagonistic activity against Fusarium culmorum DSM 1094 and Fusarium sambucinum IM 6525, both on solid and in liquid media. This activity coincided with the production of surface-active cyclic lipopeptides and was accompanied by alterations in fungal membrane lipid composition, increased membrane permeability, and inhibition of spore germination and mycelial development. The environmental isolate F. sambucinum IM 6525 was less sensitive to Bacillus activity. In addition, B. subtilis Kol B9 promoted cucumber seedling growth and reduced the adverse effects of Fusarium infection. These findings support the potential application of B. subtilis Kol B9 as a bioinoculant in sustainable agriculture.

Data availability

The 16 S rRNA sequence of Bacillus sp. Kol B9 has been deposited in GenBank (NCBI) under accession number PX963729 and is publicly available at https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/nuccore/PX963729. Other datasets generated and/or analyzed during the current study are available from the corresponding author upon reasonable request.

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Acknowledgements

The experiments using microscopic techniques were carried out with the help of Łucja Balcerzak Ph.D. at the Laboratory of Microscopic Imaging and Specialized Biological Techniques of the Faculty of Biology and Environmental Protection, University of Lodz, Poland. We would like to thank Ms. Ewa Pawlicka for collecting soil samples from which the bacterial strains mentioned in this study were isolated.

Funding

This research was funded by the University of Lodz Doctoral School of Exact and Natural Sciences.

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Industrial Microbiology and Biotechnology, Faculty of Biology and Environmental Protection, University of Lodz, Lodz, Poland

    Anna Jasińska, Przemysław Bernat & Katarzyna Paraszkiewicz

  2. Doctoral School of Exact and Natural Sciences, Department of Industrial Microbiology and Biotechnology, Faculty of Biology and Environmental Protection, University of Lodz, Lodz, Poland

    Aleksandra Walaszczyk

  3. Department of Microbiology and Rhizosphere, The National Institute of Horticultural Research, Skierniewice, Poland

    Paweł Trzciński, Krzysztof Górnik & Lidia Sas-Paszt

Authors
  1. Anna Jasińska
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Contributions

A.J., A.W., K.G. wrote the main manuscript text. K.P, P.B, K.G., P.T. and A.W. advised on experimental design. A.J., A.W., K.G., P.T. prepared figures and tables; P.B., A.W., P.T., K.G., A.J. and P.B. conducted experiments. K.P., L.S.P, K.G., P.B. and A.J. supervised the study. All authors reviewed and approved the final manuscript.

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Correspondence to Anna Jasińska or Katarzyna Paraszkiewicz.

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Jasińska, A., Walaszczyk, A., Bernat, P. et al. Biosurfactant-producing Bacillus spp. suppress Fusarium via fungal membrane disruption and promote cucumber growth. Sci Rep (2026). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-026-40391-z

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  • Received: 25 June 2025

  • Accepted: 12 February 2026

  • Published: 17 February 2026

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-026-40391-z

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Keywords

  • Bacillus subtilis
  • Surfactin, iturin, cyclic lipopeptides
  • Plant growth promotion
  • Fusarium spp.
  • Biocontrol
  • Rhizosphere
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