Potassium Silicate Promotes the Biocontrol Potential of the Rhizobacterial Strain  Bacillus velezensis Bv-22 Against Fusarium Root and Stem Rot of Cucumber

Potassium Silicate Promotes the Biocontrol Potential of the Rhizobacterial Strain Bacillus velezensis Bv-22 Against Fusarium Root and Stem Rot of Cucumber | Research Square window.SnipcartSettings = { analytics: { enabled: false } }; (function() { var accessVector = localStorage.getItem('access_vector') || ''; window.dataLayer = window.dataLayer || []; if (accessVector) { window.dataLayer.push({ user: { profile: { profileInfo: { snid: accessVector } } } }); } })(); (function(w,d,s,l,i){w[l]=w[l]||[];w[l].push({'gtm.start':new Date().getTime(),event:'gtm.js'});var f=d.getElementsByTagName(s)[0],j=d.createElement(s),dl=l!='dataLayer'?'&l='+l:'';j.async=true;j.src='https://www.googletagmanager.com/gtm.js?id='+i+dl;f.parentNode.insertBefore(j,f);})(window,document,'script','dataLayer','GTM-K279D39R'); Browse Preprints In Review Journals COVID-19 Preprints AJE Video Bytes Research Tools Research Promotion AJE Professional Editing AJE Rubriq About Preprint Platform In Review Editorial Policies Our Team Advisory Board Help Center Sign In Submit a Preprint Cite Share Download PDF Research Article Potassium Silicate Promotes the Biocontrol Potential of the Rhizobacterial Strain Bacillus velezensis Bv-22 Against Fusarium Root and Stem Rot of Cucumber Ali Almasrahi, Ali Aqdas, Younes Y. Molan, Abdullah F. Alhashel, and 2 more This is a preprint; it has not been peer reviewed by a journal. https://doi.org/ 10.21203/rs.3.rs-6874134/v1 This work is licensed under a CC BY 4.0 License Status: Published Journal Publication published 04 Dec, 2025 Read the published version in European Journal of Plant Pathology → Version 1 posted 5 You are reading this latest preprint version Abstract Fusarium root and stem rot (FRSR), caused by Fusarium oxysporum f. sp. radicis-cucumerinum (Forc), is an economically devastating disease affecting cucumber greenhouses. To reduce the use of fungicides, farmers need more environmentally friendly alternatives for disease control, and combining biocontrol microbes with plant nutrition becomes a promising option. This study investigated the potential of combining potassium silicate (Si), an eco-friendly agrochemical, with the native rhizobacterial strain Bacillus velezensis Bv-22 for the biocontrol of FRSR. First, strain Bv-22 and Si (3 mM) significantly inhibited the growth of Forc. Second, Si did not inhibit the growth of Bv-22 in vitro; rather, it enhanced the antagonistic potential of Bv-22 by upregulating transcript levels of antagonism-related genes. Third, greenhouse trials proved that applying Bv-22 and Si together exhibited excellent control efficacy against FRSR compared to separate treatments. Also, the decrease in cucumber plants’ growth due to the Forc-induced stress was synergistically reduced. Quantitative PCR indicated that Si, when incorporated into soils, positively influenced the rhizospheric colonization of Bv-22. Furthermore, there is a negative correlation between Bv-22 and Forc abundances in the rhizosphere soil. The results presented here suggest that Bv-22 + Si-controlled FRSR is achieved by lowering pathogen colonization in plant tissues and the rhizosphere, along with increased tissue Si content, decreased Forc-induced oxidative stress, and enhanced enzymatic and non-enzymatic defense responses in cucumber plants. Collectively, in organic cucumber-cultivated soil, a strategy depending on the enhancement of the antagonistic capability of biocontrol microbes by Si can be proposed for the integrated management of FWS. biocontrol microbes biofertilizer plant nutrition enhanced antagonism disease suppression integrated control Full Text Supplementary Files SupplementaryMaterials2.docx Cite Share Download PDF Status: Published Journal Publication published 04 Dec, 2025 Read the published version in European Journal of Plant Pathology → Version 1 posted Reviewers agreed at journal 17 Jun, 2025 Reviewers invited by journal 17 Jun, 2025 Editor invited by journal 15 Jun, 2025 Editor assigned by journal 13 Jun, 2025 First submitted to journal 11 Jun, 2025 You are reading this latest preprint version Research Square lets you share your work early, gain feedback from the community, and start making changes to your manuscript prior to peer review in a journal. As a division of Research Square Company, we’re committed to making research communication faster, fairer, and more useful. We do this by developing innovative software and high quality services for the global research community. Our growing team is made up of researchers and industry professionals working together to solve the most critical problems facing scientific publishing. Also discoverable on Platform About Our Team In Review Editorial Policies Advisory Board Help Center Resources Author Services Accessibility API Access RSS feed Manage Cookie Preferences © Research Square 2026 | ISSN 2693-5015 (online) Privacy Policy Terms of Service Do Not Sell My Personal Information {"props":{"pageProps":{"initialData":{"identity":"rs-6874134","acceptedTermsAndConditions":true,"allowDirectSubmit":false,"archivedVersions":[],"articleType":"Research Article","associatedPublications":[],"authors":[{"id":472517195,"identity":"e5c1cbaa-2869-41fc-8264-1b6291e004db","order_by":0,"name":"Ali Almasrahi","email":"","orcid":"","institution":"King Saud University College of Food and Agriculture Sciences","correspondingAuthor":false,"prefix":"","firstName":"Ali","middleName":"","lastName":"Almasrahi","suffix":""},{"id":472517196,"identity":"5369bd15-a0e3-48af-8758-61e23e834c26","order_by":1,"name":"Ali Aqdas","email":"","orcid":"","institution":"King Saud University College of Food and Agriculture Sciences","correspondingAuthor":false,"prefix":"","firstName":"Ali","middleName":"","lastName":"Aqdas","suffix":""},{"id":472517197,"identity":"e6a3686a-558d-42e1-8e54-d607f97d1687","order_by":2,"name":"Younes Y. Molan","email":"","orcid":"","institution":"King Saud University College of Food and Agriculture Sciences","correspondingAuthor":false,"prefix":"","firstName":"Younes","middleName":"Y.","lastName":"Molan","suffix":""},{"id":472517198,"identity":"9078abf0-570e-4667-b759-245b5b561b0b","order_by":3,"name":"Abdullah F. Alhashel","email":"","orcid":"","institution":"King Saud University College of Food and Agriculture Sciences","correspondingAuthor":false,"prefix":"","firstName":"Abdullah","middleName":"F.","lastName":"Alhashel","suffix":""},{"id":472517199,"identity":"83d9bcb4-a0e6-4ffd-aa62-a29dfb735071","order_by":4,"name":"Arya Widyawan","email":"","orcid":"","institution":"King Saud University College of Food and Agriculture Sciences","correspondingAuthor":false,"prefix":"","firstName":"Arya","middleName":"","lastName":"Widyawan","suffix":""},{"id":472517200,"identity":"a547aebe-bf9c-4c94-8b76-a20a82d11706","order_by":5,"name":"Mahmoud Hosni El_Komy","email":"data:image/png;base64,iVBORw0KGgoAAAANSUhEUgAAAZAAAAAyAQMAAABI0h/eAAAABlBMVEX///8AAABVwtN+AAAACXBIWXMAAA7EAAAOxAGVKw4bAAAA1UlEQVRIiWNgGAWjYFAC5mYQKScB5rARpYURrMWYdC2JM4jWott+sNngY87h9Jn9ZwwYPpQdZpBvP4Bfi9mZxObEmdsO586WyDFgnHHuMIPBmQQCWg4kNh/mBWqZJ8FjwMzbBtTCQEjL+YdgLely/GcMmP8Ctcj3PyCg5UZiczJQS4I0Q44BMyNQC8MNQrbceNhsOHNbuuHMGWkFB3vOpfMY3CBky/nkwxIft1nLS5w/vPHBjzJrOfl+ArZAAThuGA4AMQ9R6oGgjliFo2AUjIJRMBIBALhFRzsTJSsXAAAAAElFTkSuQmCC","orcid":"https://orcid.org/0000-0003-2814-1537","institution":"King Saud University College of Food and Agricultural Sciences","correspondingAuthor":true,"prefix":"","firstName":"Mahmoud","middleName":"Hosni","lastName":"El_Komy","suffix":""}],"badges":[],"createdAt":"2025-06-11 17:50:06","currentVersionCode":1,"declarations":"","doi":"10.21203/rs.3.rs-6874134/v1","doiUrl":"https://doi.org/10.21203/rs.3.rs-6874134/v1","draftVersion":[],"editorialEvents":[{"content":"https://doi.org/10.1007/s10658-025-03172-4","type":"published","date":"2025-12-04T15:57:08+00:00"}],"editorialNote":"","failedWorkflow":false,"files":[{"id":97723874,"identity":"562d08d5-d883-4db7-8625-55feadeb9825","added_by":"auto","created_at":"2025-12-08 16:08:58","extension":"pdf","order_by":1,"title":"","display":"","copyAsset":false,"role":"manuscript-pdf","size":1400853,"visible":true,"origin":"","legend":"","description":"","filename":"AlkomyBiocontrolPotentialfinallll.pdf","url":"https://assets-eu.researchsquare.com/files/rs-6874134/v1_covered_de940d3b-f2f8-406d-9a87-fccc0dba3f98.pdf"},{"id":85002865,"identity":"e12f4934-ce72-4673-8cdd-c03c8436d2f1","added_by":"auto","created_at":"2025-06-19 19:07:41","extension":"docx","order_by":4,"title":"","display":"","copyAsset":false,"role":"supplement","size":249400,"visible":true,"origin":"","legend":"","description":"","filename":"SupplementaryMaterials2.docx","url":"https://assets-eu.researchsquare.com/files/rs-6874134/v1/7a82392afa6e3c4618d9245d.docx"}],"financialInterests":"","formattedTitle":"Potassium Silicate Promotes the Biocontrol Potential of the Rhizobacterial Strain Bacillus velezensis Bv-22 Against Fusarium Root and Stem Rot of Cucumber","fulltext":[],"fulltextSource":"","fullText":"","funders":[],"hasAdminPriorityOnWorkflow":false,"hasManuscriptDocX":false,"hasOptedInToPreprint":true,"hasPassedJournalQc":"","hasAnyPriority":false,"hideJournal":false,"highlight":"","institution":"","isAcceptedByJournal":true,"isAuthorSuppliedPdf":true,"isDeskRejected":"","isHiddenFromSearch":false,"isInQc":false,"isInWorkflow":true,"isPdf":true,"isPdfUpToDate":true,"isWithdrawnOrRetracted":false,"journal":{"display":true,"email":"[email protected]","identity":"european-journal-of-plant-pathology","isNatureJournal":false,"hasQc":true,"allowDirectSubmit":false,"externalIdentity":"ejpp","sideBox":"Learn more about [European Journal of Plant Pathology](http://link.springer.com/journal/10658)","snPcode":"10658","submissionUrl":"https://www.editorialmanager.com/ejpp/default2.aspx","title":"European Journal of Plant Pathology","twitterHandle":"","acdcEnabled":true,"dfaEnabled":true,"editorialSystem":"em","reportingPortfolio":"Springer Hybrid","inReviewEnabled":true,"inReviewRevisionsEnabled":false},"keywords":"biocontrol microbes, biofertilizer, plant nutrition, enhanced antagonism, disease suppression, integrated control","lastPublishedDoi":"10.21203/rs.3.rs-6874134/v1","lastPublishedDoiUrl":"https://doi.org/10.21203/rs.3.rs-6874134/v1","license":{"name":"CC BY 4.0","url":"https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/"},"manuscriptAbstract":"\u003cp\u003eFusarium root and stem rot (FRSR), caused by \u003cem\u003eFusarium oxysporum\u003c/em\u003e f. sp. \u003cem\u003eradicis-cucumerinum\u003c/em\u003e (Forc), is an economically devastating disease affecting cucumber greenhouses. To reduce the use of fungicides, farmers need more environmentally friendly alternatives for disease control, and combining biocontrol microbes with plant nutrition becomes a promising option. This study investigated the potential of combining potassium silicate (Si), an eco-friendly agrochemical, with the native rhizobacterial strain \u003cem\u003eBacillus velezensis\u003c/em\u003e Bv-22 for the biocontrol of FRSR. First, strain Bv-22 and Si (3 mM) significantly inhibited the growth of Forc. Second, Si did not inhibit the growth of Bv-22 in vitro; rather, it enhanced the antagonistic potential of Bv-22 by upregulating transcript levels of antagonism-related genes. Third, greenhouse trials proved that applying Bv-22 and Si together exhibited excellent control efficacy against FRSR compared to separate treatments. Also, the decrease in cucumber plants\u0026rsquo; growth due to the Forc-induced stress was synergistically reduced. Quantitative PCR indicated that Si, when incorporated into soils, positively influenced the rhizospheric colonization of Bv-22. Furthermore, there is a negative correlation between Bv-22 and Forc abundances in the rhizosphere soil. The results presented here suggest that Bv-22\u0026thinsp;+\u0026thinsp;Si-controlled FRSR is achieved by lowering pathogen colonization in plant tissues and the rhizosphere, along with increased tissue Si content, decreased Forc-induced oxidative stress, and enhanced enzymatic and non-enzymatic defense responses in cucumber plants. Collectively, in organic cucumber-cultivated soil, a strategy depending on the enhancement of the antagonistic capability of biocontrol microbes by Si can be proposed for the integrated management of FWS.\u003c/p\u003e","manuscriptTitle":"Potassium Silicate Promotes the Biocontrol Potential of the Rhizobacterial Strain Bacillus velezensis Bv-22 Against Fusarium Root and Stem Rot of Cucumber","msid":"","msnumber":"","nonDraftVersions":[{"code":1,"date":"2025-06-19 19:07:36","doi":"10.21203/rs.3.rs-6874134/v1","editorialEvents":[{"type":"communityComments","content":0},{"type":"reviewerAgreed","content":"","date":"2025-06-17T11:35:33+00:00","index":0,"fulltext":""},{"type":"reviewersInvited","content":"","date":"2025-06-17T11:17:03+00:00","index":"","fulltext":""},{"type":"editorInvited","content":"European Journal of Plant Pathology","date":"2025-06-16T03:55:34+00:00","index":"","fulltext":""},{"type":"editorAssigned","content":"","date":"2025-06-13T13:56:12+00:00","index":"","fulltext":""},{"type":"submitted","content":"European Journal of Plant Pathology","date":"2025-06-11T13:48:46+00:00","index":"","fulltext":""}],"status":"published","journal":{"display":true,"email":"[email protected]","identity":"european-journal-of-plant-pathology","isNatureJournal":false,"hasQc":true,"allowDirectSubmit":false,"externalIdentity":"ejpp","sideBox":"Learn more about [European Journal of Plant Pathology](http://link.springer.com/journal/10658)","snPcode":"10658","submissionUrl":"https://www.editorialmanager.com/ejpp/default2.aspx","title":"European Journal of Plant Pathology","twitterHandle":"","acdcEnabled":true,"dfaEnabled":true,"editorialSystem":"em","reportingPortfolio":"Springer Hybrid","inReviewEnabled":true,"inReviewRevisionsEnabled":false}}],"origin":"","ownerIdentity":"00bddbc1-d11b-48c5-a200-f0ab52acf36f","owner":[],"postedDate":"June 19th, 2025","published":true,"recentEditorialEvents":[],"rejectedJournal":[],"revision":"","amendment":"","status":"published-in-journal","subjectAreas":[],"tags":[],"updatedAt":"2025-12-08T16:01:51+00:00","versionOfRecord":{"articleIdentity":"rs-6874134","link":"https://doi.org/10.1007/s10658-025-03172-4","journal":{"identity":"european-journal-of-plant-pathology","isVorOnly":false,"title":"European Journal of Plant Pathology"},"publishedOn":"2025-12-04 15:57:08","publishedOnDateReadable":"December 4th, 2025"},"versionCreatedAt":"2025-06-19 19:07:36","video":"","vorDoi":"10.1007/s10658-025-03172-4","vorDoiUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1007/s10658-025-03172-4","workflowStages":[]},"version":"v1","identity":"rs-6874134","journalConfig":"researchsquare"},"__N_SSP":true},"page":"/article/[identity]/[[...version]]","query":{"redirect":"/article/rs-6874134","identity":"rs-6874134","version":["v1"]},"buildId":"8U1c8b4HqxoKbykW_rLl7","isFallback":false,"isExperimentalCompile":false,"dynamicIds":[84888],"gssp":true,"scriptLoader":[]}