Responses of adult Argentine stem weevil to meadow fescue-perennial ryegrass hybrids, known as Festulolium, infected with the endophyte Epichloë uncinata were investigated and compared with endophyte-free Grasslands Wana cocksfoot and Grasslands Samson perennial ryegrass, and with Samson infected with wild type and AR37 strains of Epichloë festucae var. lolii. Epichloë uncinata infection in the Festulolium seed-line reduced oviposition but not feeding compared with an endophyte-free seedline of the same plant genotype in Petri dish leaf-comb and potted plant assays. Feeding on Festulolium was similar to that on endophyte-free Samson but higher than on Samson infected with wild type and AR37 endophytes. In these experiments, the numbers of eggs laid on E. uncinata-infected plant material was similar to that on Samson perennial ryegrass infected with wild type and AR37 endophytes, but lower than on endophyte-free Samson.
Festulolium hybrids are forage grasses used worldwide in temperate climates. They are associated with the fungal endophyte Epichloë uncinata, which aids in nutrient uptake, drought tolerance, and production of metabolites that protect against parasites and herbivores. Epichloë uncinata produces loline alkaloids, which can deter insect pests. Festulolium has not been widely studied for susceptibility to plant-parasitic nematodes, so Festulolium lines, with and without fungal endophytes, were tested in the greenhouse for host status to the root-knot nematode Meloidogyne incognita. All were poor hosts, regardless of line or endophyte status. Pepper seedlings planted into soil following removal of the Festulolium plants were infected by nematodes, likely because of surviving nematodes from the original inoculation combined with some reproduction on Festulolium. Lolines were found in shoots and roots of all endophyteassociated lines, and some types of lolines in roots increased after nematode infection. Methanolic extracts from roots and shoots of a tested Festulolium line did not inhibit egg hatch, but killed nearly a third of second-stage juveniles whether an endophyte was present or not. Further studies would indicate whether these Festulolium lines aid in suppressing field populations of M. incognita.
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