Screening of Two Biocontrol Strains of Bacillus subtilis against Ginseng Soil-borne Disease and Their Antifungal Activities

[ Objective] The paper was to obtain biocontrol strains with good control effects against ginseng soil-borne disease through screening. [ Method] Dilu- tion plate method and plate confrontation culture method were used to isolate and screen biocontrol bacteria from the rhizosphere soil of diseased ginseng. The strains were identified through morphology, physiological and biochemical characteristics and 16S rDNA. [ Result ] With Rhizoctonia solani, Fusarium oxysporum and Fu- sarium solani as the indicator strains, two biocontrol strains B59 and X1 with strong antagonistic effects were screened from the rhizosphere soil of diseased ginseng in Tieli farm of Heilongjiang Province, and they were identified to be Bacillus subtilis. The inhibition rates of two biocontrol strains against eight different fungi were all greater than 90%. The primary study indicated that B59 and X1 strains could secrete antifungal active substances. [ Conclusion] Two biocontrol Bacillus subti- lis strains 1359 and X1 all had strong antagonistic effect against ginseng soil-borne disease, which had certain potential for development and utilization.

Diarrheal Diseases: A Review on Gastroenteritis Bacteria Global Burden and Alternative Control of Multidrug-Resistant Strains

Diarrheal diseases represent a significant and pervasive health challenge for humanity. The aetiology of diarrheal diseases is typically associated with the presence of enteropathogens, including viruses, bacteria and parasites. The implementation of preventive measures, including the maintenance of good food hygiene, effective water sanitation, and the development of rotavirus vaccines, has resulted in a notable reduction in the prevalence of the disease. However, the emergence of bacterial multidrug resistance due to the past or present inappropriate use of antibiotics has rendered bacterial infections a significant challenge. The objective of this review is threefold: firstly, to provide an overview of diarrheal diseases associated with bacteria;secondly, to offer a concise analysis of bacterial multidrug resistance on a global scale;and thirdly, to present the potential of filamentous fungi as an alternative solution to the challenge posed by multidrug-resistant strains. Campylobacter spp. is the most dangerous bacteria, followed by Shigella spp. and Vibrio cholerae in all age groups combined. However, Shigella spp. was the deadliest in children under five years of age and, together with E. coli, are the most antibiotic-resistant bacteria. With their highly developed secondary metabolism, fungi are a reservoir of natural bioactive compounds.

Investigation and Identification of Fungal Diseases of Kiwifruit in Qiandongnan Prefecture

[Objectives]The paper was to investigate and identify the fungal diseases of wild and red heart kiwifruit in Qiandongnan Prefecture.[Methods]The pathogenic fungi were isolated from diseased leaves and fruits of wild and red heart kiwifruit by tissue separation method.DNA sequencing was carried out by using the sequence analysis of ribosomal r DNA-ITS region,and molecular evolutionary trees were built by using MEGA 4.0 software.Finally,the pathogenic fungi were classified and identified by combining morphological observation.[Results]The main fungal diseases were anthracnose caused by Colletotrichum gloeosporioides on wild kiwifruit,fruit anthracnose caused by C.acutatum on red heart kiwifruit,leaf soft rot caused by Fusarium incarnatum on red heart kiwifruit,and brown spot caused by Alternaria alternata on red heart kiwifruit.[Conclusions]The study may provide some theoretical basis for the control of kiwifruit diseases in Qiandongnan Prefecture.

Fermentation, formulation and evaluation of PGPR Bacillus subtilis isolate as a bioagent for reducing occurrence of peanut soil-borne diseases

Four isolates of Bacillus subtilis coded,B4,B7,B8 and B10 were examined as biocontrol agents for their abilities and antagonistic effect on the in vitro growth of certain phytopathogenic fungi of peanut,Rhizoctonia solani and Sclerotium rolfsii.Bacillus subtilis isolate B4(GenBank accession no.EF150884)was the highly effective one for inhibiting the fungal mycelial growth.Batch fermentation of B.subtilis isolate B4 was carried out and the maximum biomass achieved was 4.53 g L-1 at 11 h.Bacillus subtilis isolate B4 was formulated and evaluated as a biofungicide to reduce peanut soil-borne diseases under greenhouse and field conditions at the side of Rizolex-T(fungicide)as standard.Treatments by formulated plant growth-promoting rhizobacteria(PGPR)B.subtilis B4 and Rizolex-T in a soil infested with R.solani,S.rolfsii and mixture of them were more effective in decreasing percentage of damping-off,root and pod rot disease incidence(%)in greenhouse and open field environment during the two seasons 2015 and 2016.Treatments by PGPR gave highly dry weight and number of healthy pods compared to control of fungi treatment which was nearby to dry weights of healthy pods achieved by treatments by Rizolex-T in a soil infested with S.rolfsii,R.solani and mixture of them.Formulated PGPR B.subtilis B4 gave higher increasing of yield percentage than treatment by Rizolex-T in the two evaluated seasons 2015 and 2016.It can conclude that the produced bioforumlated agent was more efficient as fungicide when compared with the other chemical synthesized fungicides,safe for human and the environment and economy.

Prevention and Control Technology of Potato Soil-borne Diseases

In recent years,potato soil-borne diseases have occurred severely.The investigation shows that potato Fusarium wilt greatly affects potato yield,leading to a yield reduction rate of 21.8%.Potato powdery scab shows very mild symptoms on potato tuber,basically with no symptoms in some plots,but shows obvious symptoms on the root system.A large number of nodules which are produced on one side of the root system seriously affect water and fertilizer absorption function of the potato root system.Potato tubers expand slowly,leading to small potato tuber,low yield and low commodity rate.The fungus can survive in soil for more than 10 years.Potato soil-borne diseases are harmful and are difficult to control.Susceptible plants can be detected by high definition chromatographic control method and pathogen detection.For prevention and control of potato soil-borne diseases,first of all,disease-resistant varieties should be chosen and virus-free potato seeds are used for sowing.Secondly,metham and dazomet can be used to treat soil in order to prevent and control potato soil-borne diseases.The results showed that the dead seedling rate treated by metham was reduced from 35%to 12.5%compared with the blank control,and the yield was increased by 44.09 kg/ha,with an increase rate of 18.2%.Compared with the blank control,the dead seedling rate treated by dazomet was decreased from 35%to 7.5%,and the yield was increased by 38.10 kg/ha,with an increase rate of 15.7%.The soil treatment received obvious yield increase effect.

Preliminary Investigation on the Main Fungal Diseases of Sugarcane in Guangxi Province of China

[ Objective ] The purpose was to understand species and occurrence status of major fugal diseases in sugarcane cultivation areas of Guangxi in China, so as to provide scientific references for integrated control against sugarcane diseases. [ Method] Species and occurrence degrees of major fugal diseases in sugarcane cultivation areas of Guangxi were investigated through randomized surveys, farmer interviews, literature references and location investigations from 2009 to 2011. Diseased sugarcane samples were collected and their species were identified through pathogen isolated culture and other relevant methods. [ Result] Thirteen spe- cies of fungal diseases were identified in the survey, including pineapple disease [ Thielaviopsis paradoxa （ de Seynes ） V. Hohnel ], smut （ Ustilago scitaminea Sydow）, top rot disease （Fusarium moniliforme Sheldon）, rust （Puccinia melanocephala H. ＆ P. Syd. ）, leaf scald disease （Stagonospora sacchari Lo et Ling）, red rot disease （Colletotrichumfalcatum Went）, zonate spot disease （Phyllosticta saccharicola P. Henn. ）, leaf red spot disease [ Pellicularia sasakii （Shirai） Ito], white rash disease （Elsinoe sacchari L. ）, eye spot [Helminthosporium sacchari （Breda de Haan） Butler], yellow spot [Mycovellosiella koepkei （kruger） Deighton], brown stripe [Bipolaris stenospilum （Drechs.） Shoem. ] and brown spot （Cercospora longipes Butler）. Smut, rust, top rot, and pineapple disease were the most rampantly detrimental to quality and yield of sugarcane. [ Conclusion] Smut is the most serious sugarcane disease; it is urgent to breed sugarcane varieties with high resistance and excellent agronomic characters to replace current sugarcane varieties susceptible to diseases.

Meta-QTL analysis for mining of candidate genes and constitutive gene network development for fungal disease resistance in maize(Zea mays L.)

The development of resistant maize cultivars is the most effective and sustainable approach to combat fungal diseases.Over the last three decades,many quantitative trait loci(QTL)mapping studies reported numerous QTL for fungal disease resistance(FDR)in maize.However,different genetic backgrounds of germplasm and differing QTL analysis algorithms limit the use of identified QTL for comparative studies.The meta-QTL(MQTL)analysis is the meta-analysis of multiple QTL experiments,which entails broader allelic coverage and helps in the combined analysis of diverse QTL mapping studies revealing common genomic regions for target traits.In the present study,128(33.59%)out of 381 reported QTL(from 82 studies)for FDR could be projected on the maize genome through MQTL analysis.It revealed 38 MQTL for FDR(12 diseases)on all chromosomes except chromosome 10.Five MQTL namely 1_4,2_4,3_2,3_4,and 5_4 were linked with multiple FDR.Total of 1910 candidate genes were identified for all the MQTL regions,with protein kinase gene families,TFs,pathogenesis-related,and disease-responsive proteins directly or indirectly associated with FDR.The comparison of physical positions of marker-traits association(MTAs)from genome-wide association studies with genes underlying MQTL interval verified the presence of QTL/candidate genes for particular diseases.The linked markers to MQTL and putative candidate genes underlying identified MQTL can be further validated in the germplasm through marker screening and expression studies.The study also attempted to unravel the underlying mechanism for FDR resistance by analyzing the constitutive gene network,which will be a useful resource to understand the molecular mechanism of defense-response of a particular disease and multiple FDR in maize.

Main Diseases of Zucchini and Their Prevention and Control Methods

This paper elaborates the symptom characteristics and control methods of virus diseases including squash leaf curl china virus(SLCCNV),watermelon mosaic virus(WMV),cucurbit chlorotic yellows virus(CCYV),cucumber mosaic virus(CMV)and zucchini yellow mosaic virus(ZYMV),as well as fungal diseases including zucchini powdery mildew,zucchini downy mildew and zucchini scab that harm zucchini production,in order to provide a theoretical basis and technical support for disease prevention and control of zucchini.

TiO_2 photocatalytic antifungal technique for crops diseases control

TiO2 and 1% Ce^3＋-TiO2 prepared by hydrothermal method were characterized by means of XRD and UV-visible diffusive reflectance spectra（DRS）. The results of DRS analysis indicated that the 1% Ce^3＋-TiO2 catalyst had significant optical absorption in the visible region between 400-450 nm because electrons could be excited from the valence band of TiO2 or cerium oxides to Ce 4f level. To investigate the photocatalytic activity of different catalysts for crop fungal disease control, a series of Quine tests were carried out for cucumber powdery mildew and litchi downy blight control in home-made photocatalytic reactor. The results showed that TiO2 photocatalysis technique should be effective to inhibit the growth of fungal diseases to some extent and P-25 had a higher activity for antifungal control than home-made TiO2 catalysts. TiO2-A prepared with Ti（SO4）2 is more active to contro 1 antifungal disease than TiO2-B prepared with TiOSO4 as precursor because the crystalline of TiO2-A was higher than that of TiO2-B. The antifungal index litchi downy blight control was greatly enhanced by doping 1% cerium ion. The antifungal index of 1.0%Ce3^＋-TiO2 was（47.0 ± 4.7）%, （82.2 ± 3.5）%, （100 ±0.0）% under indoor weaker light, solar light and black light, respectively. The results of field experiments showed that the antifungal index of 1.0%Ce^3＋-TiO2 was more than that of P-25. The antifungal index of 1.0%Ce^3＋-TiO2 was （81.7 ± 6.5）%, （67.5 ±4.7）%, （38.6±1.9）% for litchi downy blight, maize southern leaf spot, and rice blast, respectively. It was concluded that TiO2 photocatalysis technique should be an effective way for litchi fungal disease control in practice.

Heterologous expression of the Haynaldia villosa pattern-recognition receptor CERK1-V in wheat increases resistance to three fungal diseases

Wheat production is under continuous threat by various fungal pathogens.Identification of multipledisease resistance genes may lead to effective disease control via the development of cultivars with broad-spectrum resistance.Plant Lysin-motif(LysM)-type pattern-recognition receptors,which elicit innate immunity by recognizing fungal pathogen associated molecular patterns such as chitin,are potential candidates for such resistance.In this study,we cloned a LysM receptor-like kinase gene,CERK1-V,from the diploid wheat relative Haynaldia villosa.CERK1-V expression was induced by chitin and Blumeria graminis f.sp.tritici,the causal agent of wheat powdery mildew.Heterologous overexpression of CERK1-V in wheat inhibited the development of three fungal pathogens,thereby increased resistance to powdery mildew,yellow rust,and Fusarium head blight.CERK1-V physically interacted with the wheat Lys M protein Ta CEBi Ps.CERK1-V/Ta CEBi Ps interaction promoted chitin recognition and activated chitin signal transduction in wheat.Transgenic plants with excessively high CERK1-V expression showed high resistance but abnormal plant growth,whereas plants with moderate expression level showed adequate resistance level with no marked impairment of plant growth.In transgenic lines,RNA-seq showed that gene expression involved in plant innate immunity was activated.Expression of genes involved in photosynthesis,ER stress and multiple phytohormone pathways was also activated.Optimized expression of CERK1-V in wheat can confer disease resistance without compromising growth or defense fitness.

Advances in the research of intestinal fungi in Crohn's disease

This article reviews of the original research published by Wu et al in the World Journal of Gastroenterology,delving into the pivotal role of the gut microbiota in the pathogenesis of Crohn's disease(CD).Insights were gained from fecal microbiota transplantation(FMT)in mouse models,revealing the intricate interplay between the gut microbiota,mesenteric adipose tissue(MAT),and creeping fat.The study uncovered the characteristics of inflammation and fibrosis in the MAT and intestinal tissues of patients with CD;moreover,through the FMT mouse model,it observed the impact of samples from healthy patients and those with CD on symptoms.The pathogenesis of CD is complex,and its etiology remains unclear;however,it is widely believed that gut microbiota dysbiosis plays a significant role.Recently,with the development and application of next-generation sequen-cing technology,research on the role of fungi in the pathogenesis and chronicity of CD has deepened.This editorial serves as a supplement to the research by Wu et al who discussed advances related to the study of fungi in CD.

Polyphenol from foxtail millet bran alleviates experimental colitis in mice by remodulating intestinal fungal community

Inflammatory bowel disease(IBD)is a chronic relapsing-remitting systemic disease of the gastrointestinal tract,characterized by an inflammatory process.Gut mycobiota community dysbiosis has been reported that is closely related to the development of IBD.Our previous findings indicated that polyphenol of the inner shell(BPIS)from foxtail millet bran could restore the gut microbiome and inhibit the progress of colorectal cancer(CRC).In the present study,we studied the anti-inflammatory potential of BPIS in the dextran sodium sulfate(DSS)-induced mouse colitis model.Data suggested that BPIS alleviated experimental colitis by restoring body weight,colonic length and protecting the epithelial architecture from damage by DSS.Moreover,we found that BPIS strengthened the gut barrier function and inhibited the activation of Wnt1/β-catenin pathway.Gene sequence analysis indicated that BPIS remodeled the overall structure of the gut mycobiota from colitis mice toward that of the normal counterparts,including 1 phylum and 9 genera.Interestingly,BPIS significantly increased the abundance of Aspergillus ruber.It further verified that BPIS significantly promoted the growth of A.ruber in vitro.Collectively,BPIS has great potential to develop into an effective against IBD drug.

Wheat Genetic Transformation as Efficient Tools to Fight against Fungal Diseases

Wheat ranks first among cereal crops cultivated in the world. In its production, diseases like powdery mildew, fusarium head blight and rusts caused by fungal pathogens represent a major problem. They produce different symptoms that cause severe crop damage by infecting the spikes, leaves, roots, stems and grains. They are causing losses both by reducing the quantity of the harvested crop and the quality of the product. Quality problems of the harvested product can be due to shrivelled seed, which are frequently found as a consequence of the infection by leaf pathogens, such as mildews, rusts and Septoria. Fusarium head blight is the major culprit for mycotoxin contamination from the harvested grain, causing economic losses and in the worst casing human and animal health problems. In severe epidemics, all these fungal diseases can significantly reduce yield. Resistance to fungi is beneficial not only from a commercial point of view （yield）, but also because of the reduced levels of mycotoxins. The integration of transgenic approaches offers a potential chemical-free and environment-friendly solution for controlling fungal pathogens. This is an essential asset for wheat world food security.

Evaluation of maize inbred lines currently used in Chinese breeding programs for resistance to six foliar diseases

Foliar diseases are common in most maize-producing regions and have caused serious yield reduction in China. To evaluate genetic resistance of parental lines actively used in maize breeding programs to major foliar diseases, 152 maize inbred lines were tested against northern corn leaf blight(NCLB), southern corn leaf blight(SCLB), Curvularia leaf spot(CLS),gray leaf spot(GLS), common rust, and southern rust from 2003 to 2005. A small number of lines exhibited highly resistant reactions to common rust and southern rust, but none were highly resistant to NCLB, SCLB, CLS, and GLS. Although 53.3%, 40.8%, and 80.7% of lines were resistant to NCLB, SCLB, and common rust, the resistance in most lines was moderate.Resistance to CLS, GLS, and southern rust was rare in this collection of maize lines. Five lines,313, Chang 7-2, Qi 319, Qi 318, and Shen 137, were resistant to five diseases tested. Lines belonging to heterotic subgroup PB exhibited better resistance to the foliar diseases than lines from other heterotic subgroups, such as BSSS, PA, Lancaster, LRC, and PA. The results will be of benefit to breeders for selecting lines in disease resistance breeding programs.

Allelopathy of decomposed maize straw products on three soilborn diseases of wheat and the analysis by GC-MS

In northern China, the soil-born diseases of wheat have been getting more and more serious under a new farming system that returns maize straw to the field. In order to investigate the allelopathy of the decomposed maize straw products on three soil-born diseases of wheat, culture dish and pot experiments were conducted and the compounds in the products were identified by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry （GC-MS）. Culture dish experiments showed that the mycelial growth, sclerotia formation amount and total weight of Rhizoctonia cerealis were promoted at concentrations of 0.03, 0.06 and 0.12 g mL-1 and inhibited at concentration of 0.48 g mL-1 of the decomposed products. No significant effects were found of the product concentrations on average weight of the sclerotia. Mycelial growth of Gaeumannomyces graminis was promoted at almost all concentrations except the highest one. Mycelial growth and spore germination of Bipolaris sorokiniana were significantly inhibited by all concentrations of the decomposed products, with enhanced inhibition effects along with the increased concentrations. The length, number and dry weight of roots together with the root superoxide dismutase activity were promoted by the lowest concentration （0.03 g mL-1）, with a synthetic effect index of 0.012, and inhibited by other concentrations. The ion leakage of roots was increased and the root peroxidase activity of roots was lowered by all the treatments. Pot experiments revealed that occurrence of the sharp eyespot was reduced by 0.03 and 0.06 g mL-1 of decomposed products after irrigation. However, the incidence rates and disease indexes were significantly increased by 0.12, 0.24 and 0.48 g mL-1 of decomposed products. The results indicated that incidence rates and disease indexes of the take-all were significantly promoted after being irrigated with the decomposed products, while occurrences of the common rot didn＇t change, significantly. GC-MS results showed that the compounds of the decomposed products included organic acids, esters, hydrocarbons, amides and aldehydes, with the proportions 25.26, 24.01, 17.22, 14.39 and 7.73%, respectively. Further analysis investigated that the allelochemicals identified in straw decomposed products contained p-hydroxybenzoic acid （9.21%）, dibutyl phthalate （6.94%）, 3-phenyl-2-acrylic （5.06%）, 4-hydroxy-3,5-dimethoxybenzoic acid （2.26%）, hexanoic acid （1.73%）, 8-octadecenoic acid （1.06%）, 3-（4-hydroxy-3-methoxy-phenyl）-2-propenoic acid （1.04%）, 4-hydroxy-3-methoxy-benzoic acid （0.94%） and salicylic acid （0.94%）.

An Integrated QTL Map of Fungal Disease Resistance in Soybean (Glycine max L. Merr):A Method of Meta-Analysis for Mining R Genes

Diseases caused by fungal pathogens account for approximately 50% of all soybean disease losses around the world. Conflicting results of fungal disease resistance QTLs from different populations often occurred. The objectives of this study were to： （i） evaluate evidence for reported fungal disease resistance QTLs associations in soybean and （ii） extract relatively reliable and useful information from the ＂real＂ QTLs and mine putative genes in soybean. An integrated map of fungal disease resistance QTLs in soybean was established with soymap 2 published in 2004 as a reference map. QTLs of fungal disease resistance developed from each of separate populations in recent 10 years were integrated into a combinative map for gene cloning and marker assisted selection in soybean. 107 QTLs from different maps were integrated and projected to the reference map with the software BioMercator 2.1. A method of meta-analysis was used to narrow down the confidence interval, and 23 ＂real＂ QTLs and their corresponding markers were obtained from 12 linkage groups （LG）, respectively. Two published R genes were found in these ＂real＂ QTLs intervals. Sequences in the ＂real＂ QTLs intervals were predicted by GENSCAN, and these predicted genes were annotated in Goblet. 228 resistance gene analogs （RGAs） in 12 different terms were mined. The results will lay the foundation for a bioinformatics platform combining abundant QTLs, and offer the basis for marker assisted selection and gene cloning in soybean.

Gastrointestinal motility and absorptive disorders in patients with inflammatory bowel diseases: Prevalence, diagnosis and treatment

Inflammatory bowel diseases(IBD),Crohns disease and ulcerative colitis,are chronic conditions associated with high morbidity and healthcare costs.The natural history of IBD is variable and marked by alternating periods of flare and remission.Even though the use of newer therapeutic targets has been associated with higher rates of mucosal healing,a great proportion of IBD patients remain symptomatic despite effective control of inflammation.These symptoms may include but not limited to abdominal pain,dyspepsia,diarrhea,urgency,fecal incontinence,constipation or bloating.In this setting,commonly there is an overlap with gastrointestinal(GI)motility and absorptive disorders.Early recognition of these conditions greatly improves patient care and may decrease the risk of mistreatment.Therefore,in this review we describe the prevalence,diagnosis and treatment of GI motility and absorptive disorders that commonly affect patients with IBD.

Mini-review of Major Diseases of Rosa chinensis Jacq in China

Rose （Rosa chinexis Jacq）, a traditional Chinese ornamental flower, is widely planted for landscaping in China. Diseases, together with their typical symptoms on R. chinensis in China, are presented in this review. Ten fungal, one bacterial, one viral and one physiological disease are noted in this study respec- tively. Two newly recorded diseases, rose leaf spot caused by ChaetomeUa raphigera and rose leaf blotch caused by Pestalotiopsis clavispom, are also described and illustrated. With the warming climate, the geographic distribution of rose diseases may expand and the losses cause by rose diseases are becoming more serious. Therefore, we must strengthen researches on host-pathogen-changing climate and pay more attentions on adapted management measures as well.

Treatment of invasive fungal disease: A case report

BACKGROUND In recent years,the incidence of fungal infection has been increasing,often invading one or more systems of the body.However,it is rare for lymph nodes to be invaded without the involvement of other organs.CASE SUMMARY A 21-year-old man was admitted to hospital for repeated cough for 2 mo and abdominal pain for 1 mo.Physical examination revealed multiple lymph nodes enlargement,especially those in the left neck and groin.CT scan showed multiple lymph nodes enlargement in the chest,especially left lung,abdominal cavity,and retroperitoneum.The first lymph node biopsy revealed granulomatous lesions of lymph nodes,so intravenous infusion of Cefoperazone tazobactam combined with anti-tuberculosis drugs were given.Because fever and respiratory failure occurred 4 d after admission,mechanical ventilation was given,and Caspofungin and Voriconazole were used successively.However,the disease still could not be controlled.On the 11th day of admission,the body temperature reached 40° C.After mycosis of lymph nodes was confirmed by the second lymph node biopsy,Amphotericin B was given,and the patient recovered and was discharged from the hospital.CONCLUSION No fixed target organ was identified in this case,and only lymph node involvement was found.Caspofungin,a new antifungal drug,and the conventional first choice drug,Voriconazole,were ineffective,while Amphotericin B was effective.

Expression of Fusion Lytic Peptides Promotes Fungal Disease Resistance in Transgenic Plants

Many organisms produce small proteins which exhibit antimicrobial activities. In recent decades, the biological role of antimicrobial peptides (AMP) has been recognized as the main factor in the defense mechanisms against a broad range of pathogenic microbes. The increased worldwide incidence of microbial resistance to antibiotics makes AMPs promising alternative for the control of microbial disease. Exploring the potential of AMPs in transgenic crops could lead to the development of new and improved cultivars which are resistant to various economically important diseases. In the present study, two fusion lytic peptide gene constructs coding for antimicrobial peptides were expressed in Nicotiana benthamiana tobacco plants and tested against three fungal pathogens, Sclerotinia sclerotiorum, Rhizoctonia solani, and Pythium sp. Detached-leaf bioassay was employed for the transgenic plants carrying the fusion lytic peptide constructs (ORF13 and RSA1), transgenic vector only control plants (1234), and wild-type control plants (WT) against the three fungal pathogens. Symptom area of each leaf was measured with high accuracy and data were recorded and processed by statistical analyses. The results showed that transgenic plant lines ORF13 and RSL1 have substantial resistance to Sclerotinia sclerotiorum infection, producing significantly smaller lesion areas compared to vector only plant line 1234 and wild type plants. These transgenic lines also provided resistance against Rhizoctonia solani, however, these lines were not effective against the other fungal pathogen Pythium sp.