Instruct: Identify the main category of Biorxiv papers based on the titles and abstracts
Query: Bacteriophage cocktails displayed protective effects against soft rot-causing Pectobacterium sp. Soft rot caused by Pectobacterium sp. is responsible for significant losses in vegetable production worldwide. Methods for the effective control of soft rot are limited and are primarily based on good agricultural practices. The use of bacteriophages as biocontrol agents appears to be a promising alternative to combat phytopathogens. In this study, we investigated the efficacy of lytic phages recovered from symptomatic tissues and environmental samples against soft rot caused by Pectobacterium carotovorum subsp. carotovorum. Three bacteriophage isolates, designated as vB_PcaP-A3, vB_PcaM-D1, and vB_PcaM-J3, were observed to effectively lyse P. carotovorum subsp. carotovorum. Phage vB_PcaP-A3 exhibited virion morphology similar to the members of the podovirus group, while phages vB_PcaM-D1 and vB_PcaM-J3 showed myovirus morphology based on transmission electron microscopy. The optimal multiplicity of infection (MOI) differed greatly among the three phages. All three phages survived incubations at 30{degrees}C, 40{degrees}C and 50{degrees}C and pH conditions ranging from 3.0 to 9.0, but were all inactivated at 60{degrees}C and at pH 12. Both monophage and cocktail preparations were effective in inhibiting the growth of P. carotovorum subsp. carotovorum in the in vitro challenge tests. In the semi-in planta assays, while treatment with cocktail preparations completely inhibited the development of soft rot in tissue slices, monophage treatments not only resulted in significant reduction of tissue maceration in slices, but also showed protective effect against soft rot in tubers. Overall, these results demonstrate the efficacy of phages vB_PcaP-A3, vB_PcaM-D1, and vB_PcaM-J3 for the biocontrol of soft rot caused by P. carotovorum subsp. carotovorum.
4
The categories of this paper are: neuroscience
13
The categories of this paper are: animal
24
The categories of this paper are: cancer
21
The categories of this paper are: toxicology
3
The categories of this paper are: evolutionary
6
The categories of this paper are: plant
2
The categories of this paper are: biology
31
The categories of this paper are: paleontology
27
The categories of this paper are: pathology
11
The categories of this paper are: cognition
7
The categories of this paper are: ecology
10
The categories of this paper are: and
19
The categories of this paper are: epidemiology
14
The categories of this paper are: biophysics
20
The categories of this paper are: pharmacology
28
The categories of this paper are: communication