Biodiversity of Entomopathogenic Fungi in the Soils of South China

Abstract

The southern part of China, located in tropical and south subtropical areas has unique natural environments, but the distributions of entomopathogenic fungi (EFs) in the soil are not clear. In this research, 198 soil samples were collected from the four Provinces (Autonomous Region) of South China. The results indicated that a total of 292 fungal isolates were obtained from 176 soil samples. Then, based on the morphological and rDNA-ITS sequences analysis, 213 EFs isolates of 19 species in 12 genera were identified. Furthermore, Purpureocillium lilacinum with 75 isolates was recognized as the absolutely dominant EF species, while Isaria javanica, Metarhizium anisopliae, and Beauveria bassiana (respectively with 29, 26, and 26 isolates) were the richer species. The data also indicated that Guangxi Province has the best EFs diversity with the Shannon–Wiener index (SWI) of 2.29, the soils covered with grass had the best EFs diversity with the 2.14 SWI, while the orchard and fallow land had the lowest SWI of 1.52, which suggested that the diversity of plants and insects on ground, as well as the massive application of broad-spectrum fungicides, affect the EFs diversity in the soil. Finally, the rare species, Nectria mauritiicola and Scopulariopsis brumptii were first reported about their entomopathogenic activities against Bemisia tabaci. Our experiment will give new insights to the understanding of EFs distribution characteristics and their biodiversity conservation.

Metarhizium: jack of all trades, master of many

“…Given its abundance, if M. marquandii did exhibit more than low virulence towards a broader array of living hosts that would likely have been noted. There is a report that both P. chlamydosporia and M. marquandii can kill soft bodied insects (white fly Bemisia tabaci ) in the laboratory, and sporulate on the cadavers [ 127 ]. Sporulation is an important consideration as it is necessary for transmission to a new host.…”

Abundance of Entomopathogenic Fungi in Leaf Litter and Soil Layers in Forested Habitats in Poland

“…The soil environment is an important reservoir for a wide variety of EPF that can make an important contribution to the control of insect populations, including agricultural and forestry pests [ 6 ]. The occurrence and distribution of EPF in soils of various environments have been the subject of numerous studies in many countries [ 4 , 7 , 8 , 9 , 10 , 11 ]. Many species of Hypocrealean (Ascomycota) fungi live in the soil for most of their life cycle.…”

Molecular phylogeny and pathogenicity of indigenous Beauveria bassiana against the tomato leafminer, Tuta absoluta Meyrick 1917 (Lepidoptera: Gelechiidae), in Ethiopia

“…The United States of Environmental Protection Agency (USEPA) classified genus Beauveria as a biopesticide [ 17 ]. This insect pathogen is isolated from the soil [ 18 , 19 ], insect cadavers [ 17 ], as well as plant tissues [ 20 ], and checked for their pathogenicity against several agriculturally important pests [ 21 ]. Out of these, Beauveria bassiana is highly pathogenic to many insect pests through the mechanism of spore germination, cuticle penetration, and mycelial dissemination mode of action inside the body [ 22 ], and is formulated and available in the market as biopesticides for many years.…”