Tomato is a vegetable crop grown in many countries, and its production is constantly increasing. Unfortunately, production can be limited by both abiotic and biotic factors. Fungal pathogens are one of the major factors that reduce crop yield. Botrytis cinerea is a phytopathogenic fungus that causes gray rot of tomatoes, resulting in severe crop damage and economic impact in both Morocco and Switzerland.

Previous use of fungicides has led to the emergence of resistant strains, as well as environmental and public health problems. It is therefore urgent to find new strategies to combat plant pathologies. To achieve this, we need to develop environmentally friendly biocontrol methods for healthy agricultural and food production. Biofungicides based on actinobacteria are possible alternatives to limit the use of synthetic agrochemicals to control plant diseases in agricultural production systems.

In this context, our project involves the study of actinobacteria from extreme Moroccan ecosystems, that produce specialized metabolites with an antagonistic effect against the chosen pathogen while promoting tomato growth. To this end, about twenty strains of actinobacteria have already been isolated and their plant growth promoting (PGP) properties have been evaluated. The project also aims to characterize the organic compounds produced by the selected strains and to study their effects on protection against biotic and abiotic stresses in the model plant. In parallel, the mode of the induction of the production of active compounds by the selected actinobacteria will be evaluated in the presence of the plant (healthy or stressed) or the pathogen (B. cinerea). In addition, a detailed genomic study will be carried out to identify the genes responsible for this protective potential. For the genomic part, the project will benefit from the ongoing work within the Moroccan-Swiss “ActinOmics” project coordinated by Dr. Pothier and Prof. Samri, following the first joint call for projects in September 2022.