Endophytic fungi, Beauveria bassiana and Metarhizium anisopliae, confer control of the fall armyworm, Spodoptera frugiperda (J. E. Smith) (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae), in two tomato varieties

Abstract

Background The fall armyworm, Spodoptera frugiperda (J. E. Smith) (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae), is an important pest of tomatoes that reduces yield and fruit quality resulting in losses of up to 100%. The pest has developed resistance to chemical insecticides, therefore necessitating alternative control measures. The entomopathogenic fungi (EPF) Beauveria bassiana and Metarhizium anisopliae have been exploited extensively for biological control of the insect pests of economic importance. Results The potential of B. bassiana (Bals.) Vuillemin (Hypocreales: Cordycipitaceae) (BbC1) and M. anisopliae (Metchn.) Sorokin (Hypocreales: Clavicipitaceae) (M150) to persist as endophytic EPF in two tomato varieties, Matina and Harzfeuer, which spread within host tissues and protect plants against larval attack of S. frugiperda was evaluated. Tomato seedlings were inoculated by dipping roots in either BbC1 or M150 spore suspensions (108 spores/ ml). The qPCR analyses revealed the presence of both fungi in > 65% of the tested samples. Second-instar larvae of S. frugiperda were introduced onto inoculated plants that revealed the presence of fungal DNA and non-inoculated plants, 14 days after inoculation. Treating tomato plants with the EPF resulted in reducing weights and slowing larval development of Spodoptera. Larvae fed on BbC1 and M150-treated Matina significantly reduced weights than those treated with Harzfeuer tomato plants. The tomato variety Matina conferred enhanced level of resistance to the S. frugiperda larvae, further aggravated by the presence of both fungi through dietary stress resulting in slow development and reduce larval weight. Conclusion These results may serve the tomato production systems and the S. frugiperda integrated management programs.

Observations on the Relationships between Endophytic Metarhizium robertsii, Spodoptera frugiperda (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae), and Maize

“…The weak positive relationship between endophytic M. robertsii presence and relative growth rate of FAW was inconsistent with similar studies that demonstrated negative effects of endophytic Metarhizium spp. on plant-feeding insects [38,41,57,58]. In our previous study, the relative growth rate of larvae of another noctuid species, black cutworm (Agrotis ipsilon), was lower after feeding on leaf tissue from M. robertsii-inoculated maize compared with the relative growth rate of black cutworm feeding on control leaf tissue, and unaffected by colonization intensity [27].…”

“…Colonized maize tissue may also have had defensive metabolites that were ineffective against FAW owing to the deactivation of metabolites in their midguts via antimicrobial peptides and high alkalinity, and the rapid evacuation of harmful metabolites from their bodies [27,[64][65][66]. Plant defense interactions vary depending on which plant cultivar, herbivore species, and endophytic isolate is used in experiments [2,22,36,39,41].…”

“…Seed coating by microsclerotia-producing isolates of M. robertsii, M. anisopliae, and M. humberi indirectly reduced the survival (mortality > 55% after 7 days) of FAW in endophytically-colonized maize but did not affect the survival of Dalbulus maidis (Hemiptera: Cicadellidae) [40]. Tomato plants treated with M. anisopliae by root dipping resulted in slowed growth and reduced larval weight of second instar FAW larvae fed on leaf tissue 14 days after inoculation [41].…”

Beauveria bassiana: Biopestisida Ramah Lingkungan dan Efektif untuk Mengendalikan Hama dan Penyakit Tanaman

“…Cendawan B. bassiana selain sebagai agens pengendalian hama juga bersifat endofit yang hidup di dalam jaringan sehingga dapat melindungi tanaman dari berbagai jenis penyakit penting (Bonnie et al 2010;Castillo-Lopez dan Sword 2015;Greenfield et al 2016;Prabhukarthikeyan et al 2017;Jaber dan Ownley 2018;Mwanburi 2021). Berbagai jenis penyakit tanaman yang dapat dihambat perkembangannya oleh cendawan B. bassiana yaitu penyakit tular tanah (soil born disease) antara lain: Botrytis cinerea, Verticillium dahliae, Phytophthora megapserma, dan beberapa penyakit tular tanah lainnya pada berbagai jenis tanaman pangan, perkebunan maupun hortikultura (Akello et al 2007;Ownley et al 2008;Powell et al 2009;Tefera dan Vidal 2009;Punja et al 2016;Lozano-Tovar et al 2017;Saragih et al 2019;Barra-Bucarei et al 2020).…”

Spatio-Temporal Profiling of Metarhizium anisopliae—Responsive microRNAs Involved in Modulation of Plutella xylostella Immunity and Development

“…These microbial insecticides attach to the host cuticle, germinate and penetrate hemolymph, leading to fungal growth inside the host, eventually producing and dispersing secondary infectious conidia [8]. Entomopathogenic fungi, Beauveria bassiana and Metarhizium anisopliae, have shown potential against various pests, including Aedes albopictus [9], Bemisia tabaci [10], Culex pipiens [11] and Spodoptera frugiperda [12]. Insects respond to pathogenic infections by initiating various immune pathways, activating transcription factors, and gene expressional changes [13].…”