Tanja Berić

• PhD
• Professor (Full) at University of Belgrade

The agricultural industry is constantly searching for new solutions to increase the productivity and nutritional value of crops under various conditions. Microbial inoculants have emerged as an alternative to traditional chemical fertilisers which could enhance crop productivity in acid soils - a major problem in modern agriculture. The aim of this...

Brown rot caused by Monilinia spp. is one of the main causes of pre- and postharvest losses in stone and pome fruit production. The use of beneficial microorganisms is considered one of the most promising, safe and effective alternative methods for controlling these pathogens. This study aimed to investigate the antagonistic potential of 33 Bacillu...

The rhizosphere is a microhabitat around plant roots that is actively created and regulated by plants, while having a major impact on plant life itself. Plants constantly enrich the rhizosphere with organic matter from their rhizodepositions and root exudates, shaping the chemical and microbiological composition of the space surrounding their roots...

Pseudomonas syringae pv. aptata is a member of the sugar beet pathobiome and the causative agent of leaf spot disease. Like many pathogenic bacteria, P. syringae relies on the secretion of toxins, which manipulate host-pathogen interactions, to establish and maintain an infection. This study analyzes the secretome of six pathogenic P. syringae pv....

The diversity of plant-associated bacteria is vast and can be determined by 16S rRNA gene metabarcoding. Fewer of them have plant-beneficial properties. To harness their benefits for plants, we must isolate them. This study aimed to check whether 16S rRNA gene metabarcoding has predictive power in identifying the majority of known bacteria with pla...

Plant pathogenic strains of Pseudomonas syringae ( Psy ) spp. have been detected in nonagricultural habitats, including those associated with the water cycle. Their presence in aquatic systems allows dissemination over long distances, especially with irrigation practices. In May 2021, we sampled 15 sites along the Danube River Basin in Serbia to ga...

Potato is ranked as one of the most important food crops. Bacterial wilt caused by Ralstonia solanacearum and blackleg and soft rot caused by different species from genera Pectobacterium and Dickeya are considered two of the most important disease of the potato. Biological control is the optimal strategy for controlling pathogens in crops generally...

Pseudomonas syringae pv. aptata is a member of the sugar beet pathobiome and the causative agent of leaf spot disease. Like many pathogenic bacteria, P. syringae relies on the secretion of toxins, which manipulate host-pathogen interactions, to establish and maintain an infection. This study analyzes the secretome of six pathogenic P. syringae pv....

Bacillus species are among the most researched and frequently applied biocontrol agents. To estimate their potential as environmentally friendly microbial-based products, reliable and rapid plant colonization monitoring methods are essential. We evaluated repetitive element-based (rep) and Random Amplified Polymorphic DNA (RAPD) PCR (Polymerase Cha...

Members of the Pseudomonas syringae species complex are heterogeneous bacteria that are the most abundant bacterial plant pathogens in the plant phyllosphere, with strong abilities to exist on and infect different plant hosts and survive in/outside agroecosystems. In this study, the draft genome sequences of two pathogenic P. syringae pv. aptata st...

“Pirot ‘ironed’ sausage“ (Pis) is a traditional, fermented sausage, made from different types of meat (beef and chevon), without additives or starter cultures. The physical–chemical properties (pH, water activity, fats, moisture, and protein contents) were examined in the initial meat batter stuffing and during ripening. Total bacterial diversity w...

Plant pathogenic bacteria from the genera Pectobacterium and Dickeya in association with potato cause blackleg and tuber soft rot disease. A metabarcoding was used to analyze the microbial communities of soft-rotted tubers and their geocaulospheres. In September 2018, samples collected from the blackleg-infected field (58 ha) in the Bačka region (S...

The total diversity of bacterial and fungal communities associated with the phyllosphere (fruits and leaves) of the ‘Williams’ pear variety was analyzed in two phenological stages during fruit development and maturation. The antagonistic potential of autochthonous bacterial and yeast isolates against phytopathogenic fungi was also evaluated. A meta...

Acid soils occupy more than 3.95 billion ha of the world soils, and finding an adequate solution for the limitation of crop production on these soils is indispensable. Using highly effective rhizobia tolerant to low pH enables successful nodulation and quality crop production of legumes in acid soils. In this study, isolation and characterization o...

The study aimed to investigate the physico-chemical properties as well as phytoplankton and bacterial community diversity of Bovan Lake reservoir in Serbia to gain insight into the seasonal dynamic of water quality. All analyses were performed at three localities and water depths in spring, summer, autumn, and winter 2019. Seven phytoplankton phyla...

Plant pathogenic bacterium Xanthomonas campestris pv. campestris (Xcc) was recently described as a pathogen of winter oilseed rape in Serbia. A metabarcoding approach was used to study bacterial community composition changes in the phyllosphere and rhizosphere of different winter oilseed rape types (lines, cultivars, and hybrids) naturally infected...

Aims: This research aimed to isolate and characterize non-rhizobial endophytic bacteria from root nodules of Medicago sativa L. and Lotus corniculatus L. with plant growth promoting characteristics and to test its activity in a pot experiment with acidic soil. Methods and results: Out of 44 non-rhizobial isolates, the majority exhibited indole-3...

Antibacterial and antibiofilm efficacy through a synergistic effect of herbal leaf extracts of bearberry (BE), bearberry tea (BTE), parsley (PE), and the strawberry tree (STE) was evaluated to discover an alternative approach to control urinary tract infections caused by Enterococci. UHPLC–DAD MS/MS analysis indicated that herbal extracts were rich...

The soft rot caused by Pectobacterium and Dickeya spp. is among the most important potato disease, responsible for outbreaks worldwide. In 2018, potato tubers (cultivar Lady Claire) with and without visible soft rot symptom, together with their geocaulospheres were sampled from the field in Bačka region (Serbia). The 16S rRNA Next Generation Sequen...

Winter oilseed rape has recently been described as a new host for the phytopathogenic bacterium Xanthomonas campestris pv. campestris (Xcc) in Serbia. In order to provide information about the genetic structure of this bacterium’s population and its pathogenic features on this crop, a collection of 65 winter oilseed rape Xcc isolates obtained over...

Rhizobacteria are a heterogeneous group of bacteria inhabiting the rhizosphere of plants, whose dynamics and diversity of metabolism and activity are conditioned primarily by root exudates. Functionally, these bacteria contribute to the improvement of plant performances, and are often members of the genera Bacillus and Pseudomonas. The rhizobacteri...

The susceptibility of Serbian plum cultivars to pathogens originating from their phyllosphere was evaluated by inoculating detached young leaves and mature fruits. The virulence of indigenous isolates of the bacteria Pseudomonas syringae, Pseudomonas congelans, Erwinia persicina, Clavibacter michiganensis and Rhizobium nepotum was tested on detache...

Aims: A multidisciplinary approach was used to compare phenolic composition, radical scavenging and antimicrobial activity of propolis samples from different geographical localities, and plant resin against various microorganisms. Methods and Results: Using UHPLC-qqqMS quantitative analysis, twenty eight phenolic compounds were determined. Caffeic...

European plum (Prunus domestica L.) is a significant commercial crop in Serbia in terms of total fruit production, and is traditionally processed into slivovitz brandy. The brown rot disease caused by Monilinia laxa drastically reduces plum yield almost every year. Fungal communities associated with leaves and fruits of four local Serbian plum cult...

Aims: Characterization of bacterial communities diversity on four local plum cultivars in two phenological stages using culture-dependent and culture-independent methods and screening among culturable plum community for indigenous bacteria active against phytopathogens. Methods and results: The bacterial communities associated with leaves and fr...

Compost green mould and dry bubble are the most devastating diseases of the cultivated white button mushroom. In search of efficient disease control, previously and newly isolated Bacillus spp. strains obtained from mushroom substrates were examined for antagonistic activity against Trichoderma aggressivum f. europaeum T77, Trichoderma harzianum T5...

The study aimed to isolate potential biocontrol agents from mushroom substrate that could serve as an alternative to toxic chemicals commonly used for disease control in mushroom production. The antagonistic potential of ten native Bacillus subtilis strains against the causal agents of green mould disease of oyster mushroom, Trichoderma pleuroti an...

The “Pirot ‘ironed’ sausage” (Pis) is a traditional, dry, fermented product originating from the town of Pirot, situated in southeastern Serbia. This product is made from different types of meat (goat, sheep, beef and donkey) and spices, without additives or starter cultures. Pis is an organic, unprocessed product, without heat or smoke treatment....

Aim Assessment of biological control of P. syringae pv. aptata using crude lipopeptide extracts (CLEs) of two Bacillus amyloliquefaciens strains (SS‐12.6 and SS‐38.4) and one Bacillus pumilus strain (SS‐10.7). Methods and Results The minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) of CLEs and their combinations against the pathogen and potential interactio...

Bacteria from the Bacillus group are microorganisms that inhabit a large number of different habitats. They are well known as producers of a wide array of antagonistic compounds of different structures, having between 5 to 8% of the total genome devoted to biosynthesis of secondary metabolites. Most important bioactive molecules from the genus Baci...

Comprehensive analysis of phenolic profiles of botanically different subtypes of Turkish propolis samples were performed using UHPLC–LTQ/Orbitrap/MS/MS method, and additionally total phenolic (TPC) and total flavonoid contents (TFC), as well as their antioxidative activities, were evaluated by spectrophotometry. Antimicrobial activity of Turkish pr...

Pseudomonas syringae pv. aptata was identified as the causal agent of bacterial leaf spot disease of sugar beet (Beta vulgaris L.). Out of 250 samples collected during 2013 in commercial fields of sugar beet in Serbia from leaf lesions with typical symptoms of bacterial leaf spot, 104 isolates of P. syringae pv. aptata were obtained. Identification...

Identification of 33 Bacillus spp. isolates from different environmental samples collected from the territory of Serbia was performed by sequencing of the 5ʹ-hypervariable section of 16S rRNA gene. Eight species were identified within four phylogenetic groups: B. pumilus, B. megaterium, B. subtilis and B. cereus. Determination of their antibiotic r...

SUMMARY In vitro antagonistic potential of eleven isolates of Bacillus spp. against two phytopathogenic bacteria and one fungus was tested in order to identify potential biocontrol agents in vegetable crops. The Bacillus spp. isolates demonstrated different levels of antagonistic effect against the tested pathogenic microorganisms. Data in the stud...

The aim of this study was genotyping and identification of collection of 164 Bacillus spp. isolates, from samples of soil, manure, and straw gathered from across Serbia, using Pulse field gel electrophoresis (PFGE) combined with sequencing of tuf gene, one of the housekeeping genes. The PFGE analysis with NotI enzyme was used to determine phylogene...

[This corrects the article on p. 925 in vol. 8, PMID: 28588570.].

In this study the efficacy of two different methods for extracting lipopeptides produced by five Bacillus strains-ethyl acetate extraction, and acid precipitation followed by methanol extraction—was investigated using mass spectrometry. High performance thin layer chromatography (HPTLC) was also used for the simultaneous separation of complex mixtu...

In vitro anti-tumour and anti-radical activities of the acetone extract of the freshwater sponge Ochridaspongia rotunda were the subject of this study. The extract was found to be highly cytotoxic to human lung tumour cell line A-549 reaching IC50 value of 5.01 ± 0.21 μg/mL. Indeed, it displayed only 2-fold less anti-tumour activity than doxorubici...

Context: Bioprospection has become a dynamic scientific field that explores novel possibilities for the implementation of natural products in medicine and pharmacy. Compared to marine species from all kingdoms, freshwater species have been highly neglected. Objective: This work focuses on the screening of acetylcholinesterase inhibitory (AChE) and...

Background Coagulase negative staphylococci (CoNS) and Listeria monocytogenes have important roles in pathogenesis of various genital tract infections and fatal foetomaternal infections, respectively. The aim of our study was to investigate the inhibitory effects of two novel bacteriocins on biofilms of CoNS and L. monocytogenes genital isolates....

Extensive employment of plant resins and propolis, as an antiseptic agents dating from ancient times in numerous cultures indicating that it may have antimicrobial and other biological properties. Resins from deciduous trees from the Populus and Salix genera, several fruit trees from the genus Prunus and a few other species were analyzed for their...

New information has come to light about the biological activity of propolis and the quality of natural products which requires a rapid and reliable assessment method such as High Performance Thin-Layer Chromatography (HPTLC) fingerprinting. This study investigates chromatographic and chemometric approaches for determining the antimicrobial activity...

Information about the propolis samples, geographical coordinates, wax content and classification according to the HPTLC phenolic profile. (DOC)

Standard phenolic compounds with orange type of propolis on NH2 HPTLC plate. The order was given from left to the right side: gallic acid, p-coumaric acid, caffeic acid, apigenin, luteolin, 2 orange propolis samples, naringenin, quercetin, kaempferol, pinostrombin, pinobanksin. (TIF)

The minimum bactericidal concentration (MBC) of methanol extracts of Serbian propolis samples in mg/mL. (DOC)

Standard phenolic compounds on HPTLC plate silica gel. The order was given from left to the right side: p-coumaric acid, caffeic acid, gallic acid, chlorogenic acid, ferullic acid, cinnamic acid, naringenin, quercetin, myricetin, kaempferol, rutin, luteolin, chrysin, apigenin. (TIF)

The isolation of bacteria was carried out from samples of straw and chicken manure, compost at various stages of the composting process and casing soil used for growing button mushrooms. A preliminary screening of 108 bacterial isolates for antagonistic activity against Trichoderma aggressivum f. europaeum showed that 23 tested isolates inhibited m...

New alkalophilic Bacillus sp. producers of cyclodextrin glycosyltransferase (CGTase) were isolated from 54 different soil samples (Serbian springs and soils). Amylolytic activity of isolates was found to be in the range of 0.4 to 12.2 U/mL and cyclodextrinogenic activity in the range of 0.02 to 0.53 U/mL. The isolate designated as B-65 showed the h...

IZVOD Bolesti biljaka izazvane infekcijama patogenim gljivama mogu dovesti do smanjenja kapaciteta biljnog rasta ili naneti mnogo ozbiljniju štetu dovodeći do smrti biljaka i značajnih gubitaka u proizvodnji hrane. Veliki broj istraživanja je u poslednje vreme posvećen proučavanju sekundarnih metabolita koje proizvode vrste roda Bacillusa koji se m...

Using cultivation-dependant method, we isolated 184 strains from fresh and old bee bread, pollen, larvae and adults of solitary bee Osmia cornuta. The 16S rDNA sequencing of 79 selected isolates gave the final species-specific identification of strains. Phylogenetic analysis indicated that microbiota isolated from five different sources were repres...

Ciljevi - Ispitivanje antimikrobnog efekta propolisa i smola iz pupoljaka nekih drvenastih biljaka iz različitih regiona Srbije, kao i određivanje sinergističkog efekta fenolnih jedinjenja i antimikrobne aktivnosti pojedinačnih komponenti smola. Metode - Početno ispitivanje antibakterijskog potencijala 106 uzoraka ekstrakata propolisa i smola prem...

The aim of this study was to investigate the sanitary (health) aspect of the quality of drinking water collected from 31 artesian fountains in the City of Zaječar. The analyses included the monitoring of bacteriological, physical and physicochemical parameters according to the Regulation on the hygienic quality of drinking water (Official Gazette o...

IZVOD Bolesti biljaka izazvane infekcijama patogenim gljivama mogu dovesti do smanjenja kapaciteta biljnog rasta ili naneti mnogo ozbiljniju štetu dovodeći do smrti biljaka i značajnih gubitaka u proizvodnji hrane. Veliki broj istraživanja je u poslednje vreme posvećen proučavanju sekundarnih metabolita koje proizvode vrste roda Bacillusa koji se m...

Bacteria from genus Bacillus are microorganisms that inhabit many different ecological niches. They produce a number of secondary metabolites, including nonribosomally synthesized peptides and lipopeptides, polyketide compounds and bacteriocins. Lipopeptides from Bacillus have very complex mechanisms of biosynthesis and in general have a broad spec...

The development of protective products with natural origin as alternatives to synthetic fungicides is currently in the spotlight. Qualitative and quantitative chemical analysis of 16 selected essential oils was determined. Then, antifungal properties determined by in vitro microdilution method against 21 fungi isolated from herbal drugs were evalua...

Introduction: Extensive populations of microorganisms are common inhabitants of the alimentary tract of insects, but also of all other parts of their body. Their role in this coexistence during the life cycle of the insect varied, and from all results obtained so far we can conclude that large diversity of bacterial flora in the gut of different be...

In recent years great attention was paid to biological control, the application of natural products in order to protect crops and medicinal plants against contamination with phytopathogenic and saprophytic fungi. Essential oils have been evaluated as a potentially safe replacement for chemicals used for that purpose. In this regard, antifungal pote...

To isolate and characterize bacteriocin, licheniocin 50.2, from soil bacteria identified as Bacillus licheniformis. The strain Bacillus licheniformis VPS50.2 was identified as bacteriocin producer, effective against Gram-positive bacteria, including Listeria monocytogenes, meticillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) and β-hemolytic streptococ...

Two strains of Bacillus sp., SS-12.6 and SS-13.1, showed very strong antibacterial and antifungal activity against phytopathogens. The PCR analysis showed that both strains have the genes for biosynthesis of iturin, bacillomycin and surfactin. Kinetics of production of antimicrobial substances in these strains showed that synthesis started at the b...

During past few years a symptoms of plum and cherry bud necrosis were observed in some regions with significant cherry production in Serbia. Gram negative, fluorescent, oxidative bacterial strains were isolated from the margin of necrotic tissue. All investigated strains are levan and HR positive, while negative results are recorded in oxidase, pec...

Screening of 203 Bacillus sp. natural isolates for antimicrobial activity against phytopathogenic bacteria showed that 127 tested strains inhibit at least one sensitive strain, which illustrates their potential use as biocontrol agents. Among them, 104 isolates showed significant antagonism against Xanthomonas oryzae pv. oryzae, and only one of the...

A collection of 205 natural isolates of Bacillus was tested for the presence of genes for biosynthesis of antimicrobial lipopeptides, iturin, surfactin, fengycin and bacillomycin D. For the detection of iturin producers by PCR screening, we used forward ITUP1-F and reverse ITUP2-R primers which are capable of detecting a 2-kb region that includes t...

A new strain of Bacillus sp. was obtained during experiments of oil shale demineralization, which were carried out in order to get 'pure' organic matter (kerogen). The demineralization efficiency of newly isolated strain was found to be substantially higher in comparison with that of Bacillus circulans Jordan 1890. On the basis of the biochemical c...

Genetic diversity and production of hydrolytic enzymes of 205 Bacillus isolates from different geographical and ecological niches in Serbia were studied. Combining RAPD analysis and 16S DNA sequencing, we determined 13 different groups of RAPD profiles within four (five) species: B. subtilis, B. cereus/B. thuringiensis, B. pumilus, and B. firmus. S...

Mutagenic and antimutagenic properties of essential oil (EO) of basil and its major constituent Linalool, reported to possess antioxidative properties, were examined in microbial tests. In Salmonella/microsome and Escherichia. coli WP2 reversion assays both derivatives (0.25-2.0 microl/plate) showed no mutagenic effect. Salmonella. typhimurium TA98...

The antimutagenic potential of essential oil (EO) of basil (Ocimum basilicum L.) and its major constituent linalool were studied with the E. coli K12 and S.cerevisiae D7 assays. In the E. coli assay, EO and linalool inhibited UV-induced mutagenesis in a repair-proficient strain, but had no effect on spontaneous mutagenesis in repair-proficient, nuc...

The use of dietary antimutagens and anticardnogens has been seen as a promising approach to the protection of human health. Basil (Ocimum basilicum L.) is a well-known medicinal and aromatic plant, with a range of newly discovered biological activities possibly important for chemoprevention. In the preliminary experiments, toxic and mutagenic poten...

A collection of 212 gram-positive bacilli isolated from natural habitats was screened for the presence of intervening sequences (introns and intein-coding sequences) in the SPbeta prophage-related ribonucleotide reductase genes bnrdE and bnrdF. Three novel configurations were identified on the basis of the presence of (i) intervening sequences in b...

Mutagenic and antimutagenic potential of essential oil (EO) of cultivated sage (S. officinalis L.) and its monoterpenes: thujone, 1,8-cineole, camphor and limonene against UVC-induced mutations was studied with Salmonella/microsome, E. coli WP2, E. coli K12 [Simić, D., Vuković-Gačić, B., Knežević-Vukčević, J., 1998. Detection of natural bioantimuta...

One of the most interesting problems in the nascent discipline of astrobiology is more than half-century old Fermi's paradox: why, considering extraordinary young age of Earth and the Solar System in the Galactic context, don't we perceive much older intelligent communities or signposts of their activity? In spite of a vigorous research activity in...