Medicago sativa L. (alfalfa, syn. lucerne) is an important forage crop for livestock, which is subject to attack from a range of insect pests and susceptible to diseases that can reduce production and persistence. This review considers the main insect pests affecting M. sativa in China and New Zealand as well as the wider plant resistance mechanisms and multitrophic interaction that occur between plants, insect pests, entomopathogens, endophytes, the environment, and climate change. This is with a view to identifying new research opportunities applicable to M. sativa that can be applied to improving production and persistence of this important agricultural crop. These opportunities include identification and activity of entomopathogens/endophytes (e.g., Bacillus and Pseudomonas spp., Metarhizium spp.) and plant growth enhancers (Trichoderma), as well as multitrophic plant-insect-microbial interactions.
Endophytes are increasingly investigated as biocontrol agents for agricultural production. The identification
of new endophytes with high effectiveness against plant disease is very important. A total of 362 strains of
endophytes, including fungi, bacteria, and actinomycete, were isolated from alfalfa (Medicago sativa L.)
collected in Hebei, Inner Mongolia and Ningxia provinces of China. The three strains of endophytic bacteria
(NA NX51R-5, NA NX90R-8, and NA NM1S-1) with strong biocontrol capability with >50% effectiveness
were screened against the common alfalfa root rot pathogen Fusarium oxysporum F. sp. medicaginis in
alfalfa seedling germination experiments on MS medium and pot experiments. Using phylogenetic analysis,
the isolates of NA NM1S-1 and NA NX51R-5 were identified as Bacillus spp. by 16S rDNA, while NA
NX90R-8 was found to be Pseudomonas sp.
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