Research Projects

The lab at NIPGR in New Delhi has discovered a novel antifungal bacterium, Burkholderia gladioli strain NGJ1, from rice. The bacterium exhibits broad-spectrum mycophagous and antifungal activity on various fungi, including R. solani. It can use fungal biomass as a sole nutrient source and induces cell death. A phage tail-like protein (Bg_9562) is essential for the bacterium's mycophagous activity. Purified Bg_9562 protein can effectively control R. solani infection. NGJ1 also exhibits broad-spectrum antibacterial activity, deploying effector proteins to kill co-habiting bacteria. The lab plans to use bacterial genetics approaches to identify mutants defective in these activities and study the regulatory molecules responsible for these activities. The identified molecules will be used for controlling fungal and bacterial diseases in rice.