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Olubukola Oluranti Babalola

Olubukola Oluranti Babalola
NWU

PhD
Microbial Ecology| Plant-microbe interactions| Endophytes| Soil microbiology

About

610
Publications
329,364
Reads
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22,252
Citations
Introduction
My research group's interest is to understand the plant-soil microbe interactions toward plant health management. We investigate below and above-ground microbial interactions, rhizosphere metagenomics, symbiosis, and aspects of stress tolerance. We aim to generate biofertilizers, bioherbicides, and similar biocontrol products.
Additional affiliations
May 2007 - December 2008
University of the Western Cape
Position
  • PostDoc Position
Description
  • Expanding the 16S rDNA framework for the genus Streptomyces from specific extreme environments via metagenomics and culture-based techniques. The work involves current molecular biology techniques, and the use of bioinformatics.
July 2004 - March 2006
Weizmann Institute of Science
Position
  • PostDoc Position
Description
  • Transgenically enhancing the virulence of fungi used as biocontrol agent via Designing and use of failsafe mechanisms to prevent spread and introgression, Enhancing of virulence of Fusarium spp against Orobanche etc.
Education
January 1997 - July 2002
University of Ibadan
Field of study
  • Microbiology

Publications

Publications (610)
Article
Full-text available
The genus Pseudomonas is one of the most varied and widespread bacterial genera, with species found in most environment. They are known to degrade organic and inorganic compounds, produce secondary metabolites, and enhance plant growth. The genome of Pseudomonas koreensis AB36, a heavy metal resistant organism isolated from a gold mine was sequence...
Article
The economically important Cyanobacterial genus Limnospira is commercially utilized as a dietary supplement and nutraceutical agent. We present the whole-genome sequence of Limnospira fusiformis NRMCF6962 and was isolated from Kondakarla Ava Lake of Visakhapatnam, Andhra Pradesh, India.
Article
Full-text available
Background Termitarium is an intricate biological home with exceptional physicochemical soil properties and numerous beneficial microbiomes. The termitarium microbiome plays a role in several bionetwork processes. It contributes significantly to sustainable agriculture, forestry, and horticulture. In contrast to the immense number of research works...
Chapter
Cowpea (Vigna unguiculata) is a significant tropical leguminous crop, comprising a crucial protein source in the nourishment of many people. This chapter comprehensively examines the advancements in cowpea research, offering insights into the diverse aspects of this versatile legume crop. Starting with the taxonomy and botanical description of cowp...
Article
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The concept of this review underscores a significant shift towards sustainable agricultural practices, particularly from the view point of microbial biotechnology and nanotechnology. The global food insecurity that causes increasing ecological imbalances is exacerbating food insecurity, and this has necessitated eco-friendly agricultural innovation...
Article
With the emerging threats to global food security, it is now more urgent to take proactive steps toward ensuring the sustainability of food systems that will support the increasing global population. Hence, the current themed edition of this journal 'Food System Management towards Sustainable End to Hunger-SDG2' is a relevant and timely topic to en...
Article
With increasing global population density and climate change, the sustainability of food production poses new challenges. These are factors such as food inflation, climate change, natural disasters, and diseases affecting crops among others. Consequently, fungi have evolved as a pillar of ecological agriculture in the twenty-first century. Some of...
Article
Full-text available
Soybean is an economically important crop for animal and human nutrition. Currently, there is a lack of information on the effects of Trichoderma harzianum and Purpureocillum lilacinum on INTACTA RR PRO transgenic soybean plants. The present study evaluated the application of T. harzianum and P. lilacinum under field conditions. The results reveale...
Article
Full-text available
Introduction Soybean is a significant export product for several countries, including the United States and Brazil. There are numerous varieties of soybean. Among them, a genetically modified type known as INTACTA RR2 PRO™ has been designed to demonstrate resistance to glyphosate and to produce toxins that are lethal to several species of caterpill...
Article
Full-text available
Background Anthropogenic mediations contribute a significant role in stimulating positive reactions in soil–plant interactions; however, methodical reports on how anthropogenic activities impact soil microorganism-induced properties and soil health are still inadequate. In this study, we evaluated the influence of anthropogenic fertilization of far...
Article
Full-text available
Drought is one of the environmental stresses that threaten food availability. It results in decreased crop yields and developments and diminishes overall plant health. Chemical solutions for alleviating drought stress may be harmful to the environment. Using an alternative, microorganisms help counter the effects of drought stress. Endophytes have...
Article
Full-text available
Maize is one of the most consumed cereal crops worldwide, and it is a strategic crop to the attainment of SDG 2 of Zero hunger. Despite its importance, the cultivation of maize has been significantly impaired by fungal pathogens causing foliar diseases. The occurrence of this disease in maize plantations at the Research Farm of the NorthWest Univer...
Article
Full-text available
Crop productivity may be significantly inhibited by factors, such as increased temperature, soil erosion, pathogen and pest attacks, and drought and salt stresses, mostly resulting from global climate change. However, microorganisms that are found in the rhizosphere can aid in the mobilization of essential soil nutrients, facilitate plant growth, a...
Article
Plants have microbial companions inhabiting a hidden world within their tissues that play relevant roles in their environmental fitness. Some of these beneficial microorganisms can colonize seeds by exerting a functional echo in future generations. In this study, we review the most recent advances in microbial endophytes residing in seeds and their...
Article
Full-text available
In the face of persistent soil degradation in Benin caused by poor agricultural practices, including excessive use of chemical fertilizers, it is urgent to find solutions that take into account the microorganisms of interest. This study aimed to assess the effect of combining three strains of indigenous arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF) on maize p...
Article
Full-text available
Background Global food systems in recent years have been impacted by some harsh environmental challenges and excessive anthropogenic activities. The increasing levels of both biotic and abiotic stressors have led to a decline in food production, safety, and quality. This has also contributed to a low crop production rate and difficulty in meeting t...
Article
Full-text available
Plants support numerous microorganisms within their tissues and the rhizosphere, and these microorganisms, known as the microbiota, can influence plant growth and health. Up to 40% of a plant’s photosynthetic metabolism may be invested in the rhizosphere. The microbiota are considered an extra genome that can be modulated to meet plant needs. Resea...
Article
Full-text available
Biosynthesis of metal oxide nanoparticles using plant extract is an inexpensive, simple, rapid, and environmentally friendly approach to obtaining nanoparticles for biological applications. Herein, copper oxide nanoparticles (CuO-NPs) were successfully synthesized using an aqueous extract from Ligustrum lucidum leaves. The structural, optical, and...
Article
Full-text available
Drought is one of the main abiotic factors affecting global agricultural productivity. However, the application of bioinocula containing plant-growth-promoting rhizobacteria (PGPR) has been seen as a potential environmentally friendly technology for increasing plants’ resistance to water stress. In this study, rhizobacteria strains were isolated fr...
Preprint
Full-text available
Plants support numerous microorganisms within their tissues and the rhizosphere, and these microorganisms, known as the microbiota, can influence plant growth and health. Up to 40% of a plant's photosynthetic metabolism may be invested in the rhizosphere. The microbiota is considered an extra genome that can be modulated to meet plant needs. Resear...
Preprint
Full-text available
Soybean is a crop of great economic importance for animal and human nutrition. Currently, there is a lack of information on the effects of the fungi Trichoderma harzianum and Purpureocillum lilacinum on the INTACTA RR PRO TM transgenic soybean plants. The present study evaluated the application of the fungi T. harzianum and P. lilacinum under pot a...
Article
Full-text available
Maize and cowpea are among the staple foods most consumed by most of the African population, and are of significant importance in food security, crop diversification, biodiversity preservation, and livelihoods. In order to satisfy the growing demand for agricultural products, fertilizers and pesticides have been extensively used to increase yields...
Article
Full-text available
The main objectives of the present investigation was to characterize and recognize potential indigenous Rhi-zobium spp. associated with red clover nodules, as well as to evaluate the influence of prospective rhizobia inoculation (individual and consortia) on common bean plant growth. Total of 8 rhizobia like bacteria were isolated and were investig...
Article
Full-text available
Microorganisms inhabiting caves exhibit medical or biotechnological promise, most of which have been attributed to factors such as antimicrobial activity or the induction of mineral precipitation. This dataset explored the shotgun metagenomic sequencing of the Cango cave microbial community in Oudtshoorn, South Africa. The aimed to elucidate both t...
Chapter
Environmental contamination by heavy metals is fast becoming a worldwide concern due to their non-degradable nature that enhance their accumulation in the environment. Several conventional methods are in used for treatment of contaminated sites but these methods are usually inefficient financially and negatively impact the qualities of contaminated...
Chapter
Anthropogenic activities resulting from various industrial processes and some natural activities has caused the rise in discharge of heavy metals into the ecosystem. Environmental problems as a result of indiscriminate release of heavy metals is of significance due to the threat pose to all living biota in the environ and their perdurable character...
Article
Full-text available
Genomic features of Staphylococcus auricularis PAPLE_T1 isolated from waste sample of Carica papaya obtained from Lagos State, Nigeria, revealed its putative capability to synthesize valuable secondary metabolites. S. auricularis PAPLE_T1 has a 2.4 Mb genome and could be useful as biological agro-antibiotics, for soil bioremediation and in biotechn...
Article
Full-text available
The future global food security depends on the availability of water for agriculture. Yet, the ongoing rise in nonagricultural uses for water, such as urban and industrial uses, and growing environmental quality concerns have increased pressure of irrigation water demand and posed danger to food security. Nevertheless, its severity and duration are...
Article
In this study, we successfully isolated two distinct yeasts from Moroccan extreme environments. These yeasts were subjected to molecular characterization by analyzing their Internal Transcribed spacer (ITS) regions. Our research thoroughly characterizes plant growth-promoting abilities and their drought and salt stress tolerance. In a greenhouse as...
Article
Full-text available
This report describes the draft genome sequence of Bacillus velezensis strains AOA1 and AKS2 isolated from maize rhizosphere soil in South Africa. Bacillus velezensis plays important biological roles as plant growth promoting rhizobacterium (PGPR). Bacillus velezensis strains also exhibit numerous biotechnological application potentials in agricult...
Article
Full-text available
In the rhizosphere, plants and microbes communicate chemically , especially under environmental stress. Over millions of years, plants and their microbiome have coevolved, sharing various chemicals, including signaling molecules. This mutual exchange impacts bacterial communication and influences plant metabolism. Inter-kingdom signal crosstalk aff...
Article
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We screened and isolated Priestia megaterium strain AB-S79 from active gold mine soil, then sequenced its genome to unravel its biosynthetic traits. The isolate with a 5.7-Mb genome can be utilized as a reference in genome-guided strain selection for metabolic engineering and other biotechnological operations.
Chapter
Cold stress is one of the main obstacles to developing high-quality crops and global food security. Numerous molecular, physiological, and biochemical modifications occur in plants under different cold environments. Therefore, providing eco-friendly, economically viable, and sustainable solutions for guaranteeing high-quality food production in col...
Article
Full-text available
To improve agricultural sustainability, an agriculturally productive system is required to maintain soil fertility and reduce the loss of soil biodiversity. One of the modern technologies employs microbial biostimulants that create abundant agricultural yield with high nutritional values, controlling disadvantages obtained from environmental change...
Article
Full-text available
The metagenomic dataset profiled in this research is built on bacterial 16S rRNA gene amplicon of DNA mined from barley rhizosphere under chemical (CB) and organic (OB) fertilization. Amplicon-based sequencing was prepared by the Illumina platform, and the raw sequence dataset was examined using Metagenomic Rast Server (MG-RAST). The metagenome com...
Article
Full-text available
The dataset profiled in this research is built on sequencing of lactic acid bacteria 16S rDNA mined from Nono (N4 and N5), Kunu (K4 and K1) and Garri. The 16S rDNA sequences files are accessible under the data identification numbers: OK017047, OK017046, OK017044, OK017043, OK017045 at the GenBank database, NCBI. Taxonomic identification and phyloge...
Article
Full-text available
A field experiment was conducted to evaluate the response of soil microorganisms (bacteria and fungi), to some soil amendments (organic and inorganic) at site A and site B. The experiments were laid out in a randomized complete block design (RCBD). The treatments applied were compost (3.4 t/ha), poultry manure (4.2 t/ha), Tithonia diversifolia (4.8...
Article
Full-text available
South Africa is a semi-arid country in need of soil conservation methods for sustainable agroecosystem practices. Over time, researchers have worked extensively on the plant growth beneficial effects of fungi. However, archaeal groups in the soil and rhizosphere of different plants are under-studied. The impact of soil edaphic factors on the commun...
Article
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Endophytic microbial communities have essential information for scientists based on their biological contribution to agricultural practices. In the external plant environment, biotic and abiotic factors affect microbial populations before getting into plant tissues. Endophytes are involved in mutualistic and antagonistic activities with the host pl...
Article
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Pseudomonas iranensis ABS_30, isolated from gold mining soil, exhibits metal-resistant properties valuable for heavy metal removal. We report the draft genome sequencing of the P. iranensis ABS_30 strain, which is 5.9 Mb in size.
Article
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Legumes are highly nutritious in proteins and are good food for humans and animals because of their nutritional values. Plant growth-promoting bacteria (PGPR) are microbes dwelling in the rhizosphere soil of a plant contributing to the healthy status, growth promotion of crops, and preventing the invasion of diseases. Root exudates produced from th...
Article
Full-text available
Lysinibacillus fusiformis PwPw_T2 isolated from deteriorating Ananas comosus sample collected from Lagos State, Nigeria putatively possesses genomic features like potential enzymes catalyzing acetic acid production and xenobiotic compounds degradation via various pathways as indicated by its genome sequences. These could make the organism relevant...
Article
Full-text available
The sustainable production of tomatoes (Solanum lycopersicum) is important, and this can be achieved by determining the rate of respiration of microbes in the tomato plants' rhizosphere soil. This study aimed at the potential of microbes to utilize carbon substrates embedded in the rhizosphere soil thereby contributing to the healthy nature of the...
Article
Crop plants are subjected to diverse abiotic and biotic stresses, which could affect their health and production. Therefore, searching for novel stress-resistant microbial agents with plant-beneficial activities is considered an urgent in agriculture. Here, we report the new stress tolerant bacterium Streptomyces achromogenes subsp. achromogenes UM...
Article
Full-text available
Root-associated microbial communities have strong influences on the health and development of plants. Through the secretion of root exudates, the soil microbiome is impacted by plants, thereby steering plant-soil reactions. Considering the importance of root exudates in the establishment of symbiotic associations in the rhizosphere, it is quite cle...
Article
Full-text available
Nitrogen fixation by bacteria is essential for sustaining the growth, development, and yield of legumes. Pot experiments were carried out at the International Institute of Tropical Agriculture (IITA) in the glasshouse between August to December 2018/2019 cropping season in Ibadan, Nigeria. Field studies were also performed in two different agroecol...
Article
Full-text available
Here, we report the draft genome sequence of Acinetobacter sp. AYS6, an endophyte isolated from the roots of maize plant in Mafikeng, South Africa. The genome was 7,072,605 bp and exhibited a GC content of 45.6% and 3,654 genes with 3,539 coding sequences, 64 rRNA, 60 tRNAs, and 2 CRISPR.
Article
Full-text available
To cite this paper: Adedayo AA, AE Fadiji, OO Babalola (2023). Biochemical and molecular characterization of bacterial and fungal isolates associated with the rhizosphere of healthy and diseased Solanum lycopersicum. Intl J Agric Abstract Tomato is a significant vegetable grown for its essential vitamins and antioxidant-producing potential. The rhi...
Article
Full-text available
The growing human population has a greater demand for food; however, the care and preservation of nature as well as its resources must be considered when fulfilling this demand. An alternative employed in recent decades is the use and application of microbial inoculants, either individually or in consortium. The transplantation of rhizospheric micr...
Article
Full-text available
The plant microbiome can enhance disease suppression by providing life-supporting functions to their host, including stress resilience, health, and growth. However, our understanding of the core mechanisms of microbiome assembly and activity is still emerging. This article explores the role of plant-associated microbes in enhancing host resistance...
Article
Full-text available
Background Soil microorganisms including rhizobacteria and fungi play a key role in soil health, biodiversity and productivity of natural and managed ecosystems. Plant growth-promoting rhizobacteria (PGPR) associated with plant roots enhance the uptake of nutrient and improve productivity. Similarly, mycorrhizal fungi particularly, arbuscular mycor...
Article
Full-text available
Plant roots host numerous microorganisms around and inside their roots, forming a community known as the root microbiome. An increasing bulk of research is underlining the influences root-associated microbial communities can have on plant health and development. However, knowledge on how plant roots and their associated microbes interact to bring a...
Article
Full-text available
The uncontrolled use of chemicals, urban wastes, nuclear resources, mining, petrochemicals and disposal of sewage sludge only a few anthropogenic activities that have contributed to the rapid industrialization and severe heavy metal contamination of soils and waterways. Both inorganic and organic pollutants, such as heavy metals, pesticides, petrol...
Article
Full-text available
This study aimed to characterize the pathogenicity of bacteria isolated from the starter of two traditional beers produced and consumed in Benin. After standard microbial identification, species were identified by specific biochemical tests such as catalase, coagulase, and API 20 E. Antibiotic sensitivity was tested according to the French Society...
Article
Full-text available
Five Aspergillus sections have members that are established agricultural pests and producers of different metabolites, threatening global food safety. Most of these pathogenic Aspergillus species have been isolated from almost all major biomes. The soil remains the primary habitat for most of these cryptic fungi. This review explored some of the ec...
Preprint
Full-text available
In the face of persistent soil degradation in Benin due to poor agricultural practices, including excessive use of chemical fertilizers, there is an urgent need to seek solutions that integrate microorganisms of interest. The aim of the study was to assess the effect of combining three strains of indigenous arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi on maize pro...
Article
Full-text available
A putative plant growth-promoting endophytic Streptomyces moderatus strain, DT446, was isolated from the root nodules of Casuarina cunninghamiana in Tamil Nadu, India. We report a draft genome sequence for S. moderatus DT446, with 8,168,245 bp and a GC content of 70.9%.
Preprint
Full-text available
Plant roots host various microorganisms around and inside their roots, known as the root microbiome. To become healthy and productive, plants should keep under surveillance niches around the roots to recognize disease-causing microbes and similarly exploit the services of beneficial microorganisms in nutrient acquisition, stress mitigation and grow...
Preprint
Full-text available
Bambara groundnut has been observed to resist pest and drought, and still able to produce enormous yield when cultivated on poor soil. The advantages of the crop to farmers includes the fact that it produces enormous yield with very low agricultural input. The aim of the present study was to determine the taxonomic and microbial diversity, and iden...
Article
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African microbiomes are much neglected and previous studies have disproportionately focused on the Global North. Africa harbours substantial genetic diversity in terms of its ecosystems, humans and animals. In this Comment, we highlight the lack of information regarding microbiome datasets from Africa and propose mechanisms for increasing m...