Molecular characterization of Streptomyces using 16S rDNA isolated from potato, Limpopo Province, South Africa

Streptomyces species are gram-positive and are the largest genus of Actinomycetota and the type genus of the family Streptomycetaceae. Over 500 species of Streptomyces bacteria have been described. Streptomyces includes several species that can be used as a biocontrol agent for managing plant pathogenic bacteria and fungi threatening the crops. Therefore, they become important bacteria for improving yields in potato production. This study was conducted to isolate and identify Streptomyces from a potato field in Limpopo Province, South Africa. Therefore, this molecular study was conducted in 2023 at Limpopo University to identify the bacterium associated with potato filed from South Africa’s soils using 16S rDNA marker. The DNA was extracted using the Chelex method. The bacterium was identified as Streptomyces. The Nblast analysis showed South African Streptomyces has 99% similarity with a population from South Africa (HQ823600). Phylogenetic analysis using maximum likelihood placed this species with those molecularly identified as Streptomyces in the same clade with highly supported (100) bootstrap values. In conclusion, this species was identified using 16S rDNA properly. However, using other DNA markers for a better understanding of Streptomyces phylogeny is recommended.