Study of the possibility of biological control of frostbite of pistachio plants using epiphytic antifreeze bacteria

Frost stress is one of the most important factors limiting the crop production, especially horticultural products and pistachio plant in Kerman region. Because of the economic value of pistachios, the frost management of this product is very necessary. One of the novel methods is the use of anti-ice nucleating bacteria on the surface of plants, including pistachios. Some of these epiphytic bacteria can produce antifreeze proteins that bind to water molecules in order to suppress crystal formation in the target sites. In this study, 100 epiphytic pistachio bacteria were assessed in anti-freeze activity, out of which, four isolates were effective both in vitro and wheat seedling bioassays. These were identified by biochemical and molecular tests. PCR primers 63f and 1387r were used for amplification of 16SrDNA genes sequencing. Sequences were then compared with other isolates in NCBI GenBank using blast methods. With 99% sequence similarity, the bacteria were identified as Serratia sp, Pseudomonas sp., Erwinia iniecta and Escherichia fergusonii. Sequences recorded at GenBank under the accession numbers MH704448, MH704263, MH703583 and MH703535 respectively. Obviously this study could open up a new horizon in the management of frost damage of agricultural products.