Abstract
Chemical pesticides have been used to protect crops, trees and environments from infestation and/or damage caused by pests. Although effective, chemical pesticides leads to environmental pollution overtime. Hence eco-friendly alternatives to chemical pesticides were sought for controlling pests, with minimal or no damage to the environment and non-target species. Entomopathogenic nematodes (EPNs) mainly belonging to the genera Heterorhabditis and Steinernema, are obligate insect parasites, and have had a history of usage as alternatives to chemical insecticides for insect pest control. Recently Oscheius genus was discovered and described as a new EPN genus. These EPNs are mutually associated with cognate bacteria which assist the EPN in killing the insect host, through secretion of secondary metabolites. Much research has been carried out on the cognate or symbiotic bacteria associated with EPNs. Recently non-cognate bacteria associated with the EPNs are receiving attention with regards to their role in EPN infectivity and valuable secondary metabolites that the non-cognate bacteria presumably produce. In the current study, a non-cognate bacterium Achromobacter sp. strain Bel was isolated from Oscheius sp. obtained from soil samples collected in Bela-Bela, Limpopo province, South Africa. Achromobacter sp. strain Bel was assayed for its antimicrobial activity, insecticidal activity and using non-targeted profiling, its secondary metabolites were identified using a high resolution time-of-flight Gas Chromatography - Mass Spectrometry...
M.Sc. (Biotechnology)