Natural Occurrence of Entomopathogenic Fungi as Endophytes of Sugarcane (Saccharum officinarum) and in Soil of Sugarcane Fields

Donga, Trust Kasambala; Meadow, Richard; Meyling, Nicolai V.; Klingen, Ingeborg

doi:10.3390/insects12020160

Cited by 9 publications

(3 citation statements)

References 67 publications

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“…Therefore, our study may have failed to reveal, e.g., species of Metarhizium , a genus comprising some of the most well‐known and widespread entomopathogens. These fungi are isolated mainly from the rhizosphere (Kasambala Donga et al, 2021 ; Samson et al, 2013 ), although mainly from agricultural habitats (Chen et al, 2021 ).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

In search of ecological determinants of fungal infections: A semi‐field experiment with folivorous moths

Gielen

Põldmaa

Tammaru

2022

Ecology and Evolution

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Natural enemies shape the fate of species at both ecological and evolutionary time scales. While the effects of predators, parasitoids, and viruses on insects are well documented, much less is known about the ecological and evolutionary role of entomopathogenic fungi. In particular, it is unclear to which extent may the spatiotemporal distribution patterns of these pathogens create selective pressures on ecological traits of herbivorous insects. In the present study, we reared three lepidopteran species in semi‐natural conditions in a European hemiboreal forest habitat. We studied the probability of the insects to die from fungal infection as a function of insect species, food plant, study site, (manipulated) condition of the larvae, and the phenological phase. The prevalence of entomopathogenic fungi remained low to moderate with the value consistently below 10% across the subsets of the data while as many as 23 fungal species, primarily belonging to the families Cordycipitaceae, Aspergillaceae, and Nectriaceae, were recorded. There were no major differences among the insect species in prevalence of the infections or in the structure of associated fungal assemblages. The family Cordycipitaceae, comprising mainly obligatory entomopathogens, dominated among the pathogens of pupae but not among the pathogens of larvae. Overall, there was evidence for a relatively weak impact of the studied ecological factors on the probability to be infected by a fungal pathogen; there were no effects of food plant, study site, or phenology which would be consistent over the study species and developmental stages of the insects. Nevertheless, when the prevalence of particular fungal taxa was studied, Akanthomyces muscarius was found infecting insects fed with leaves of only one of the food plant, Betula spp. Feeding on a particular plant taxon can thus have specific fitness costs. This demonstrates that fungus‐mediated effects on insect life history traits are possible and deserve attention.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

In search of ecological determinants of fungal infections: A semi‐field experiment with folivorous moths

Gielen

Põldmaa

Tammaru

2022

Ecology and Evolution

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“…and Lacanicillium spp. isolated by the bait method [43,44]. It may be related to the different experimental methods.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Entomopathogenic Fungi Biodiversity in the Soil of Three Provinces Located in Southwest China and First Approach to Evaluate Their Biocontrol Potential

Chen

Xie

Cai

et al. 2021

JoF

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Entomopathogenic fungi (EF), who represent active agents to control insect natural populations, usually persist in terrestrial habitats. Southwest area in China has various climate conditions and abundant plant biodiversity (crop, forest, grassy, orchard and arable areas). Nevertheless, the potential of soil-inhabitant EF as insect pest biocontrol agents, is unknown. In this study, first the EF biodiversity from soil of three provinces (Guizhou, Sichuan, and Yunnan) was surveyed. Then, the virulence of 29 isolated strains against Bemesia tabaci and Spodoptera litura was assessed. After analyzing 212 soil samples, 497 isolated fungi were identified. Out of them, 490 isolates were classified in 45 species of 24 genera, whereas the other seven isolates, belonging to Paecilomyces and Purpureocillium genera, were not identified under species level. Furthermore, the EF biodiversity from soil of Sichuan, Yunan, and Guizhou areas, analyzed by Shannon Wiener Index (SWI) was rated at 2.98, 1.89, and 2.14, while SWIs-biodiversity in crop, forest, grassy, orchard and arable areas was rated at 2.88, 2.74, 3.05, 2.39, and 2.47. SWI data suggested that soil from Sichuan area and grassy had higher EF biodiversity compared with other analyzed provinces and areas. Virulence bioassay results indicated that, out of the 29 isolates tested, 24 were pathogenic against B. tabaci and S. litura, resulting in mortality rates >10%. In conclusion, this study reports the EF distribution and biodiversity in soil from three provinces located at Southwest China, whereas their potential use as a tool for the B. tabaci and S. litura biocontrol must be further investigated.

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“…The fungus Metarhizium sp. is an option for the biocontrol of H. hampei, which is found as endophytes in woody plants such as coffee and in soils in agricultural fields [11]. The entomopathogenic potential of this genus lies in its preference for and effectiveness against coleoptera [12].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Isolation and Characterization of Native Isolates of Metarhizium sp. as a Biocontrol Agent of Hypothenemus hampei in Rodríguez de Mendoza Province—Peru

Oliva-Cruz,

Altamirano-Tantalean,

Chuquizuta-Torres

et al. 2024

Agronomy

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Entomopathogenic fungi represent the pinnacle of efficacy among biological control agents when combating insect pests within natural ecosystems, combating them without altering the environment. This study aimed to isolate and characterize the morphology, physiology, and pathogenicity of native isolates of Metarhizium sp. isolated from soil samples from the province of Rodriguez de Mendoza. Eighteen native isolates of Metarhizium sp. were isolated and characterized. Colony coloration varied between yellow-gray, white, brown, and olive, with feathery or wavy edges. As for radial growth, the highest averages were obtained by isolates LLM-M2 and TOR-M16, with 43.15 mm and 42.85 mm, respectively. Conidia production at 15 days was higher for isolate LLM-M2 with 9.8 × 107 conidia/mL; in the percentage of germination at 14 h, the treatment that reached 100% germination was TOR-M16. Isolate CMR-M7 reached 97.49% mycelial growth percentage at 288 h, being the best result; in the percentage of mortality in CBB adults, the treatments that reached 100% were TOR-M9, TOR-M16, and MNR-M1. In general, the results demonstrate the entomopathogenic potential of native isolates of Metarhizium sp. acting as biocontrol agents of Hypothenemus hampei, being a low-cost, easily accessible, and environmentally friendly alternative.

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Natural Occurrence of Entomopathogenic Fungi as Endophytes of Sugarcane (Saccharum officinarum) and in Soil of Sugarcane Fields

Cited by 9 publications

References 67 publications

In search of ecological determinants of fungal infections: A semi‐field experiment with folivorous moths

In search of ecological determinants of fungal infections: A semi‐field experiment with folivorous moths

Entomopathogenic Fungi Biodiversity in the Soil of Three Provinces Located in Southwest China and First Approach to Evaluate Their Biocontrol Potential

Isolation and Characterization of Native Isolates of Metarhizium sp. as a Biocontrol Agent of Hypothenemus hampei in Rodríguez de Mendoza Province—Peru

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