{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2026,10,1]],"date-time":"2026-10-01T06:00:04Z","timestamp":1790834404309,"version":"4.1.0"},"reference-count":46,"publisher":"Wiley","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2026,9,30]],"date-time":"2026-09-30T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1790726400000},"content-version":"vor","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"http:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by\/4.0\/"},{"start":{"date-parts":[[2026,9,30]],"date-time":"2026-09-30T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1790726400000},"content-version":"tdm","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"http:\/\/doi.wiley.com\/10.1002\/tdm_license_1.1"}],"funder":[{"DOI":"10.13039\/501100001872","name":"Centro para el Desarrollo Tecnol\u00f3gico Industrial","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","award":["IDI\u201020230707"],"award-info":[{"award-number":["IDI\u201020230707"]}],"id":[{"id":"10.13039\/501100001872","id-type":"DOI","asserted-by":"publisher"}]}],"content-domain":{"domain":["scijournals.onlinelibrary.wiley.com"],"crossmark-restriction":true},"short-container-title":["Pest Management Science"],"abstract":"Abstract<\/jats:title>\n \n BACKGROUND<\/jats:title>\n \n The biocontrol agent\n Bacillus amyloliquefaciens<\/jats:italic>\n AH2 is effective against\n Botrytis cinerea<\/jats:italic>\n in strawberry crops. However, evaluating its actual field establishment is challenging owing to variable environmental stressors and the presence of diverse native\n Bacillus<\/jats:italic>\n populations. Because conventional markers often fail to distinguish introduced commercial strains from native microbiota, this study aimed to develop a highly specific TaqMan quantitative polymerase chain rection (qPCR) assay to monitor\n B<\/jats:italic>\n .\n amyloliquefaciens<\/jats:italic>\n AH2 under real field conditions.\n <\/jats:p>\n <\/jats:sec>\n \n RESULTS<\/jats:title>\n \n The assay targets a unique polymorphic region of the class I\n S<\/jats:italic>\n \u2010adenosyl\u2010\n l<\/jats:sc>\n \u2010methionine DNA methyltransferase (\n hsdM<\/jats:italic>\n ) gene. Analytical validation demonstrated high sensitivity, with a limit of detection of 14\u2009fg of genomic DNA. Specificity was confirmed against 30 bacterial strains, differentiating AH2 from closely related non\u2010target\n Bacillus<\/jats:italic>\n ecotypes. Field application (15\u2009L\/ha; 10\n 11<\/jats:sup>\n \u2009colony\u2010forming units per L of formulation) yielded 100% diagnostic sensitivity. Normalizing bacterial abundance against the host plant internal transcribed spacer region allowed accurate relative quantification. The analysis revealed significantly higher relative abundance in leaves\n versus<\/jats:italic>\n fruits. Crucially, absolute zero amplification in untreated controls confirmed the assay's robust\n in planta<\/jats:italic>\n specificity against complex environmental backgrounds.\n <\/jats:p>\n <\/jats:sec>\n \n CONCLUSION<\/jats:title>\n \n This strain\u2010specific qPCR assay provides a foundational molecular tool for tracking\n B<\/jats:italic>\n .\n amyloliquefaciens<\/jats:italic>\n AH2 population dynamics and ensuring product traceability. Although future studies incorporating disease incidence data are required, this monitoring capability represents a crucial first step toward optimizing application strategies within the framework of precision agriculture. Furthermore, this\n hsdM<\/jats:italic>\n \u2010targeted approach serves as a blueprint for developing analogous tracking tools for other commercial microbial inoculants. \u00a9 2026 The Author(s).\n Pest Management Science<\/jats:italic>\n published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd on behalf of Society of Chemical Industry.\n <\/jats:p>\n <\/jats:sec>","DOI":"10.1002\/ps.71319","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2026,10,1]],"date-time":"2026-10-01T05:20:41Z","timestamp":1790832041000},"update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.1002\/crossmark_policy","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":0,"title":["Strain\u2010specific monitoring of\n Bacillus amyloliquefaciens<\/i>\n AH2<\/scp>\n in strawberry fields using a specific molecular marker"],"prefix":"10.1002","author":[{"given":"M Mercedes","family":"Maldonado\u2010Gonz\u00e1lez","sequence":"first","affiliation":[{"name":"R and D Department Probelte by Agronova Biotech Murcia Spain"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0001-8304-4014","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Julio","family":"Rodr\u00edguez\u2010Romero","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Centro de Biotecnolog\u00eda y Gen\u00f3mica de Plantas Universidad Polit\u00e9cnica de Madrid\u2010Instituto Nacional de Investigaci\u00f3n y Tecnolog\u00eda Agraria y Alimentaria (UPM\u2010INIA\/CSIC) Madrid Spain"},{"name":"Departamento de Biotecnolog\u00eda\u2010Biolog\u00eda Vegetal Escuela T\u00e9cnica Superior de Ingenier\u00eda Agron\u00f3mica, Alimentaria y de Biosistemas, Universidad Polit\u00e9cnica de Madrid (UPM) Madrid Spain"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Jonatan C","family":"Campillo\u2010Brocal","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Departamento de Gen\u00e9tica and Microbiolog\u00eda Universidad de Murcia Murcia Spain"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Pedro R","family":"Molina\u2010Guevara","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"R and D Department Probelte by Agronova Biotech Murcia Spain"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0009-0006-5372-0783","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Mar\u00eda","family":"S\u00e1nchez\u2010Garc\u00eda","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"R and D Department Probelte by Agronova Biotech Murcia Spain"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Laura","family":"Mart\u00ednez\u2010Pozuelo","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"R and D Department Probelte by Agronova Biotech Murcia Spain"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0009-0004-9954-7205","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Antonio","family":"Bernal\u2010Soro","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"R and D Department Probelte by Agronova Biotech Murcia Spain"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Mar\u00eda A","family":"Ayll\u00f3n","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Centro de Biotecnolog\u00eda y Gen\u00f3mica de Plantas Universidad Polit\u00e9cnica de Madrid\u2010Instituto Nacional de Investigaci\u00f3n y Tecnolog\u00eda Agraria y Alimentaria (UPM\u2010INIA\/CSIC) Madrid Spain"},{"name":"Departamento de Biotecnolog\u00eda\u2010Biolog\u00eda Vegetal Escuela T\u00e9cnica Superior de Ingenier\u00eda Agron\u00f3mica, Alimentaria y de Biosistemas, Universidad Polit\u00e9cnica de Madrid (UPM) Madrid Spain"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]}],"member":"311","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2026,9,30]]},"reference":[{"key":"e_1_2_7_2_1","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","DOI":"10.3390\/microorganisms10091759","article-title":"Bacteria as biological control agents of plant diseases","volume":"10","author":"Bonaterra 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