In vitro evaluation of nematophagous activity of fungal isolates

Abstract

Four filamentous fungi associated with nematodes were isolated and identified from litter samples collected in the Integral Natural Reserve "Bosco Siro Negri" (PV, Italy): Arthrobotrys dactyloides, Arthrobotrys oligospora var. oligospora, Pochonia bulbillosa, and Pochonia chlamydosporia var. catenulata. Their capacity to break down the nematode population was evaluated in vitro by means of simple and reproducible multiwell plates method. All fungal strains were able to cause a death-rate significantly different from the controls (p < 0.05). Precisely, A. dactyloides caused, on average, a 26% death rate increase in the nematode population compared to the control, A. oligospora var. oligospora 25%, P. bulbillosa 12%, and P. chlamidosporia var. catenulata 17%. The method has also allowed to determine the more active fungi as regards the prey's life cycle stage. The most active strains against nematodes (adults) were A. dactyloides and A. oligospora var. oligospora, known to attack adults or larval stages by means of tridimensional traps. On the contrary P. bulbillosa and P. chlamydosporia, known to attack mainly the nematode life stage of cysts, showed lower activity against adult nematodes.

Uncovering potential ‘herbal probiotics’ in Juzen-taiho-to through the study of associated bacterial populations

“…36 Many strains in this genus are known as rhizobacteria with plant growth-promoting activities. 37–39 The current study raised a possibility that some Rahnella species are enriched in A. sinensis and contribute to its immunostimulatory activity. Further studies are underway to characterize the bacteria in A. sinensis and other herbs in JTT.…”

Involvement of a velvet protein ClVelB in the regulation of vegetative differentiation, oxidative stress response, secondary metabolism, and virulence in Curvularia lunata

“…The full-length sequence of clvelB under the control of the promoter and the TrpC terminator were inserted into the HindIII-XbaI sites of pC1300N to create plasmid 1300N-ClVelB-C and to construct ClVelB complementary mutants26. The final plasmid carrying both the WT clvelB and the G418 resistance cassette, as well as the TrpC terminator, was used to transform the clvelB deletion mutant and subsequently create a clvelB -restoring strain using the ATMT method as described above except for the use of the G418 selection agent.…”

Isolation, identification, and characterization of the nematophagous fungus Monacrosporium salinum from China

“…A modified 24‐microwell plate assay was used to evaluate the nematophagous activity of the SF 0459 strain. Conidia were obtained from 20‐day‐old corn grain cultures, and the colony surfaces were washed with sterile distilled water.…”