Earthworm Gut Bacteria Offers Sustainable Solution Against Rice Bacterial Blight

Earthworm Gut Microbes Reveal Eco-Friendly Weapon Against Rice Blight

Rice, the staple food for over 3.5 billion people, faces massive yield losses due to bacterial blight caused by Xanthomonas oryzae pv. oryzae (Xoo). A team of Indian researchers has now uncovered a sustainable solution — using earthworm gut bacteria to fight this devastating crop disease.

In a recent study published in Plant Gene (Elsevier, 2025), scientists from Assam Don Bosco University and collaborating institutes isolated a beneficial microbe, Glutamicibacter sp. KS1, from the gut of the earthworm Eisenia fetida. The strain not only dissolves soil potassium to boost plant nutrition but also produces powerful antibacterial compounds capable of suppressing the rice blight pathogen.

Using advanced GC-MS metabolomics and computational docking, researchers identified eight antibacterial metabolites. Among them, potassium ricinoleate emerged as the most potent molecule, binding effectively to the enzyme peptide deformylase (PDF)—a crucial factor in the pathogen’s protein synthesis. Simulations confirmed the structural stability of this interaction, marking it as a promising natural inhibitor.

This dual-function discovery—disease suppression and nutrient solubilization—positions Eisenia gut microbes as a sustainable biocontrol tool. The study underscores how integrating microbial biotechnology with in silico molecular modeling can lead to environmentally safe, efficient alternatives to synthetic pesticides.

Lead author Nazneen Hussain highlighted that further in vitro and in vivo validation could pave the way for earthworm-derived bioformulations in sustainable rice cultivation and climate-resilient agriculture.

Reference

Kharmawphlang, I. M., Browne, R. B., Roy, J. D., Pegu, R., & Hussain, N. (2025). Sustainable biocontrol of bacterial blight disease using Eisenia fetida gut derived Glutamicibacter sp.: Insights from metabolomics and in silico discovery. Plant Gene, 100552. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.plgene.2025.100552

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