Antimicrobial potential of metabolites extracted from ginseng bacterial endophyte Burkholderia stabilis against ginseng pathogens

Ginseng (Panax ginseng Mayer) is one of the most important medicinal plants used for diverse medicinal purposes. Ginseng can be affected by several life-threatening diseases due to long cultivation periods. Chemical agents used to control diseases have several drawbacks for plants, environment, and consumers. Therefore, there is an urgent need to replace chemicals by biological and eco-friendly agents. We tested the activity of a bacterial endophyte, Burkholderia stabilis EB159 (PG159, GenBank accession no. KU170189), which was isolated from the mountain-cultivated ginseng (MCG) plants, to be used as a biocontrol agent against ginseng pathogens. The efficacy of PG159 was confirmed through the assay of ginseng root and root disc against Cylindrocarpon destructans. The active antimicrobial fraction was separated from the total metabolites of PG159. Our results suggest that PG159 and the metabolites can be used as a potential biocontrol agent against ginseng pathogens.