Screening of native plants from central Argentina against the leaf-cutting ant Acromyrmex lundi (Guérin) and its symbiotic fungus

Napal, Georgina Nata Diaz; Buffa, Liliana M.; Nolli, Laura; Defagó, María Teresa; Valladares, Graciela; Carpinella, María Cecilia; Ruiz, Gustavo Miguel; Palacios, Sara M.

doi:10.1016/j.indcrop.2015.07.001

Cited by 17 publications

(9 citation statements)

References 41 publications

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“…Together with enthomopathogenic microorganisms, plants are the most widely studied options in the leaf cutter ant control (Valderrama-Eslava et al 2009;Boulogne et al 2012, Montoya-Lerma et al 2012, Diaz Napal et al 2015. The Solanaceae is among the top five plant families with reported insecticidal activity and in the seventh place as an antifungal (Boulogne et al 2012).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…A significant study of 89 plant species native to Argentina showed that 13.5 % of the plants inhibited the foraging activity of Acromyrmex lundi (Guerin) and 12.3 % inhibited the fungal growth. Aristolochia argentina and Fluorensia oolepsis presented both activities (Diaz Napal et al 2015). Related laboratory studies against Atta species and L. gongylophorus identified Canavalia ensiformes L. (Fabaceae), Tithonia diversifolia (Hemsl.)…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 94%

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Effects of Capsicum baccatum and C. frutescens against Atta cephalotes (Hymenoptera: Formicidae) and the symbiotic fungus Leucoagaricus gongylophorus

Lobo-Echeverri

Salazar

Hernández

et al. 2018

Rev. Colomb. Entomol.

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Leaf cutter ants are considered to be a major pest in the Neotropics, due to the considerable economic losses they cause by cutting large amounts of plant material to cultivate their symbiotic fungus. Their control is mainly achieved through synthetic products with adverse consequences to the environment and human health. In search for alternatives, the ethanolic extracts of leaves of Capsicum baccatum and C. frutescens (Solanaceae), were evaluated against medium size leaf cutter ant Atta cephalotes, and its symbiotic fungus Leucoagaricus gongylophorus. The results were promising as both plant extracts exhibited a combination of insecticidal and antifungal activity when evaluated at concentrations of 0.10, 0.25, and 0.50 % w/v. Thus, C. baccatum was shown to be the most promising as an insecticidal while, C. frutescens presented a better antifungal activity at high concentrations. Since secondary metabolites present in plants are responsible for their bioactivity, preliminary phytochemical tests and gas chromatography coupled with mass spectrometry (GCMS) of both species were carried out. In qualitative metabolite analysis, major groups detected were alkaloids, terpenoids and phenols, which are the compounds cited with the highest frequency in the management of the leaf cutter ant. Some nuclei were confirmed by GCMS, such as caryophyllene and the alkaloid conhidrine detected in baccatum, and precursors of capsaicin in C. frutescens. In this way, both species are considered promising leads for a more efficient integrated management of the leaf cutter ants.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 94%

Effects of Capsicum baccatum and C. frutescens against Atta cephalotes (Hymenoptera: Formicidae) and the symbiotic fungus Leucoagaricus gongylophorus

Lobo-Echeverri

Salazar

Hernández

et al. 2018

Rev. Colomb. Entomol.

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“…In some cases, these pesticides are applied by thermal fogging, which increases soil contamination and does not affect all of the ants in the nest. Biological methods include the application of plant extracts [11, 12] and the use of trapping crops [13], which temporarily reduce the population of the nest without definitively eliminating it; thus, the accompaniment of other control mechanisms to improve effectiveness is recommended [3].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Spores of Beauveria bassiana and Trichoderma lignorum as a bioinsecticide for the control of Atta cephalotes

et al. 2019

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Background The leafcutter ant (Atta cephalotes) is associated with losses in the agricultural sector, due to its defoliating activity; for its control, biological, mechanical and chemical methods have been developed, the latter associated with adverse effects on human and environmental health. This research validated in the field for the control of the leafcutter ant (A. cephalotes) using a mixture of Beauveria bassiana and Trichoderma lignorum spores. Methods The effectiveness from the combination of spores of B. bassiana and T. lignorum with an initial concentration of 2 × 109 spores/ml, in the following proportions of B. bassiana and T. lignorum, A (1:1), of each fungus. It was evaluated within the university campus, comparing it with two commercial formulations, Mycotrol (B. bassiana) and Mycobac (T. lignorum). Additionally, this formulation was evaluated in 49 nests distributed 16 in 14 locations in Colombia. The formulation application was carried out by direct application, using a pump at a speed of 10 ml/m2. The effectiveness was estimated from the reduction of the flow of ants, evaluating the statistically significant differences using the ANOVA and Tukey-test. Results Effective control of 90% of the nests was observed in the field phase in 60 days, except in nests with areas > 50 m2 that were located in regions with high rainfall (annual average precipitation above 7000 mm), such as Buenaventura. Conclusions In this work, it was demonstrated that the combination of B. bassiana and T. lignorum spores represent a viable alternative for the control of the leafcutter ant, in which the effectiveness is related to several factors, including the size of the nest and the rainfall in the area.

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“…The search for new strategies for pest control has increased over the past years as a result of the issues caused by toxic waste in the environment, in health, and most recently the negative effects on pollinators. Controlling leaf-cutting ants has become a challenge for various associations within the agriculture and forestry sectors (Diaz Napal et al, 2015;Della Lucia, Gandra, & Guedes, 2014) and has even been considered an urban plague, as has been reported in the city of Cali, Colombia (Montoya-Lerma, Giraldo-Echeverri, Armbrecht, & Farji-Brener, & Calle, 2012). Traditionally, broad-spectrum chemicals have been used for pest control; however, due to the problems caused by the compounds, some are no longer available, which has led to a search for new alternatives.…”

mentioning

confidence: 99%

“…The literature reports studies in the field of biological control and natural products of botanical origin, such as entomopathogenic and antagonistic fungi of the symbiotic fungus (Diehl-Fleig & Valim-Labres, 1993;Ortiz & Orduz, 2001;Lopez & Orduz, 2003;Verma, Brar, Tyagi, Surampalli, & Valéro, 2007), parasitoids specialized in attacking worker ants (Tonhasca, Bragança & Erthal, 2001;Cochet, Ortega-León, & Ortiz-Reyes, 2017), entomopathogenic nematodes (Boaretto & Forti, 1997;Leite, 2011), and botanical extracts, which depending on the activity of secondary metabolites present, may have toxic effects on ants, alter worker ant behavior or inhibit the growth of the symbiotic fungus (Fernandes et al, 2002;Oliveira, 2006;Boulogne, Ozier-Lafontaine, Germosén-Robineau, Desfontaines, & Loranger-Merciris, 2012;Diaz Napal et al, 2015;Rodriguez, Montoya-Lerma, & Calle, 2015;Lobo-Echeverri, Salazar, Hernández, & Ortiz-Reyes, 2016).…”

mentioning

confidence: 99%

Bacterial extracts for the control of Atta cephalotes (Hymenoptera: Formicidae) and its symbiotic fungus Leucoagaricus gongylophorus (Agaricales: Agaricaceae)

Reyes

2019

RBT

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Leaf-cutting ants (Atta cephalotes Linnaeus) are one of the main insect pests in Latin America; these ants (along with Acromyrmex sp.) present a unique characteristic amongst ants – the cultivation of the Leucoagaricus gongylophorus Möller (Singer) fungus as a food source. They belong to tribe Attini and build nests in underground chambers which are interconnected by pathways. These voracious ants have attacked over 45 crop fields in Colombia. The main control method has been the use of synthetic chemical products; however, alternative control measures must be established. One alternative that has a great potential are bacteria and their secondary metabolites. The aim of this study was to evaluate the insecticidal and antifungal effect of bacterial extracts on major worker A. cephalotes ants and the L. gongylophorus fungus. A total of 118 extracts produced by the same number of bacteria were evaluated. Among the strains that produced the active extracts were Serratia sp., Xenorhabdus nematophila, Photorhabdus sp., and Bacillus thuringiensis. Seventeen (17) extracts showed insecticidal activity upon contact, 13 by ingestion, while 8 showed antifungal activity that was statistically significant. In total, 23 bacterial extracts exhibited some type of activity to control Atta cephalotes.

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Screening of native plants from central Argentina against the leaf-cutting ant Acromyrmex lundi (Guérin) and its symbiotic fungus

Cited by 17 publications

References 41 publications

Effects of Capsicum baccatum and C. frutescens against Atta cephalotes (Hymenoptera: Formicidae) and the symbiotic fungus Leucoagaricus gongylophorus

Effects of Capsicum baccatum and C. frutescens against Atta cephalotes (Hymenoptera: Formicidae) and the symbiotic fungus Leucoagaricus gongylophorus

Spores of Beauveria bassiana and Trichoderma lignorum as a bioinsecticide for the control of Atta cephalotes

Bacterial extracts for the control of Atta cephalotes (Hymenoptera: Formicidae) and its symbiotic fungus Leucoagaricus gongylophorus (Agaricales: Agaricaceae)

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