Entomopathogenic Fungi: Interactions and Applications

Mantzoukas, Spiridon; Kitsiou, Foteini; Natsiopoulos, Dimitrios A.; Eliopoulos, Panagiotis A.

doi:10.3390/encyclopedia2020044

Cited by 50 publications

(31 citation statements)

References 106 publications

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“…Plants colonized by fungal endophytes exhibit feeding deterrence or antibiosis against their insect pests, which could be due to the synthesis of secondary metabolites by endophytic fungi. Plants colonized with EPF are less favorable to insects and indirectly affect the fitness of pests, as reported in previous studies [14,16,[47][48][49][50]. Our findings are similar to previous studies showing the negative impact of endophytic fungi on the reproductive potential and lifespan of insects [51,52].…”

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 91%

Endophytic Colonization by Beauveria bassiana and Metarhizium anisopliae in Maize Plants Affects the Fitness of Spodoptera frugiperda (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae)

et al. 2023

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The fall armyworm, Spodoptera frugiperda (Noctuidae; Lepidoptera), is a serious threat to food security as it has the potential to feed on over 353 plant species. To control this insect pest, endophytic colonization of entomopathogenic fungi (EPF) in plants is being considered as a safer and more effective alternative. This study evaluated the efficacy of two EPFs, Beauveria bassiana and Metarhizium anisopliae, for endophytic colonization using foliar spray and seed treatment methods on maize plants, and their impact on the survival, development, and fecundity of S. frugiperda. Both EPF effectively colonized the maize plants with foliar spray and seed treatment methods, resulting in 72–80% and 50–60% colonization rates, respectively, 14 days after inoculation. The EPF negatively impacted the development and fecundity of S. frugiperda. Larvae feeding on EPF-inoculated leaves had slower development (21.21 d for M. anisopliae and 20.64 d for B. bassiana) than the control treatment (20.27 d). The fecundity rate was also significantly reduced to 260.0–290.1 eggs/female with both EPF applications compared with the control treatment (435.6 eggs/female). Age-stage-specific parameters showed lower fecundity, life expectancy, and survival of S. frugiperda when they fed on both EPF-inoculated leaves compared with untreated leaves. Furthermore, both EPFs had a significant effect on population parameters such as intrinsic (r = 0.127 d−1 for B. bassiana, and r = 0.125 d−1 for M. anisopliae) and finite rate (λ = 1.135 d−1 for B. bassiana, and λ = 1.1333 d−1 for M. anisopliae) of S. frugiperda compared with the control (r = 0.133 d−1 and λ = 1.146 d−1). These findings suggest that EPF can be effectively used for the endophytic colonization of maize plants to control S. frugiperda. Therefore, these EPFs should be integrated into pest management programs for this pest.

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Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 91%

Endophytic Colonization by Beauveria bassiana and Metarhizium anisopliae in Maize Plants Affects the Fitness of Spodoptera frugiperda (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae)

et al. 2023

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“…In harvested fruits, EPF colonization generally improved crop yield, but differences among treatments were borderline statistically insignificant. Similar growth promotion in strawberry plants has been reported previously [33][34][35][36], whereas this study is the first to report enhancement of plant growth and production of melon plants by inoculation by B. bassiana. The positive effect of endophytic strains of B. bassiana on plant growth and yield has been well documented in several other crops, such as coffee [55], maize [56], tomato [57], soybean [58], barley [59], broad bean [60], grapevine [61], tobacco [62] and cotton [11].…”

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 90%

“…In a recent field study, strawberry plants root-inoculated with B. bassiana showed >50% reduction in the population of Tetranychus urticae Koch (Acari: Tetranychidae) and 50% fewer leaves damaged by Coleoptera, while surprisingly, there was no effect on whitefly and thrip numbers [33]. Contradictory results are not uncommon in field studies with fungal endophytes, as their efficacy in pest control is highly dependent on the inoculation method, plant and pest species, EPF strain, farming practices and environmental conditions [28,34].…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Dual Action of Beauveria bassiana (Hypocreales; Cordycipitaceae) Endophytic Stains as Biocontrol Agents against Sucking Pests and Plant Growth Biostimulants on Melon and Strawberry Field Plants

et al. 2022

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Entomopathogenic fungi (EPF) can colonize plant tissues and serve crops not only as biopesticides but also as biostimulants that promote plant growth and trigger defense mechanisms. In this context, field trials were conducted evaluating two commercial strains of the entomopathogen Beauveria bassiana (Hypocreales: Cordycipitaceae), GHA (Botanigard) and PPRI 5339 (Velifer® ES) and a wild strain (AP0101) isolated from Achaia, Greece. The three strains were investigated in the field for their endophytic effects on melon Cucumis melo (Cucurbitales: Cucurbitaceae) and strawberry Fragaria sp. (Rosales: Rosaceae) plants and in particular for their ability to colonize plant tissues, control infestations of sucking insects Aphis gossypii (Hemiptera: Aphididae), Chaetosiphon fragaefolii (Hemiptera: Aphididae) and Frankliniella occidentalis (Thysanoptera: Thripidae), and improve plant growth parameters (plant height, number of flowers and fruits). All experimental fungal strains successfully colonized both plants. A significant decrease in the aphid and thrip populations was observed in the treated plants compared to the untreated control. As for plant growth, the number of flowers and fruits was significantly increased in plants treated with B. bassiana strains AP0101 and PPRI 5339. Our results clearly indicate that fungal endophytes can efficiently act as dual action agents demonstrating both insecticidal and growth-promoting effects.

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“…Apart from the pathogenic activity of the tested fungal species on insects, our study once again confirmed that the efficacy of a given fungal species is always strain-specific and virulence may vary depending on the host. Successful infection and germination depend on both biotic and abiotic factors, such as host susceptibility, host life stage, length of the incubation period, temperature, and humidity [ 57 , 58 ]. From the above literature and our results, it appears that a particular EPF species may be virulent against a particular host while having little to no effect on others.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Entomopathogenic Action of Wild Fungal Strains against Stored Product Beetle Pests

Mantzoukas

Lagogiannis²,

Kitsiou

et al. 2023

Insects

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There is ample evidence that entomopathogenic fungi can be used as alternative biological control agents for the management of insect pests in storage facilities. As the market demands more environmentally friendly methods and chemical insecticides become increasingly obsolete, more studies are being conducted to evaluate new strains of entomopathogenic fungi for their efficacy in storage facilities. In this context, we tested ten species of fungi isolated from soil, belonging to the genera Cladosporium, Condenascus, Lecanicillium, and Penicillium, for their long-term effects on economically important beetle species. Whole wheat was directly sprayed with a conidial suspension of 108 spores/Ml of each of the tested fungi and then adults of Sitophilus granarius, S. oryzae, S. zeamais, Rhyzopertha dominica, and Trogoderma granarium were placed on the sprayed medium to study the mortality effects. Significantly higher mortality than the control was observed in all treatments. The lowest LT50 (9.164 days) was observed in T. granarium infected with Penicillium goetzii. The isolate with the strongest results was L. dimorphum, which recorded remarkably low LT50 values in S. oryzae (~11 days), R. dominica (~12 days), T. granarium (~10 days), and S. granarius (~13 days). However, for S. zeamais, it was more than 16 days. Our results confirm the existing literature on the efficacy of EPF on storage beetles, suggest the possible virulence of wild untested strains, and also highlight the importance of EPF specificity.

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Entomopathogenic Fungi: Interactions and Applications

Cited by 50 publications

References 106 publications

Endophytic Colonization by Beauveria bassiana and Metarhizium anisopliae in Maize Plants Affects the Fitness of Spodoptera frugiperda (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae)

Endophytic Colonization by Beauveria bassiana and Metarhizium anisopliae in Maize Plants Affects the Fitness of Spodoptera frugiperda (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae)

Dual Action of Beauveria bassiana (Hypocreales; Cordycipitaceae) Endophytic Stains as Biocontrol Agents against Sucking Pests and Plant Growth Biostimulants on Melon and Strawberry Field Plants

Entomopathogenic Action of Wild Fungal Strains against Stored Product Beetle Pests

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