Effect of entomopathogenic fungi introduced as corn endophytes on the development, reproduction, and food preference of the invasive fall armyworm Spodoptera frugiperda

Fall armyworm (FAW), Spodoptera frugiperda, is a migratory polyphagous pest that causes major damage to economically important cultivated grasses, such as corn. Native to the neotropics in America but recently reported as an invasive pest in Africa and Asia, FAW imposes a serious threat to food security and sustainable crop productivity due to lack of efective management. In this study, the introduction of entomopathogenic fungi as endophytes was explored as an alternative more sustainable management strategy against FAW in corn. The study determined (1) the efect of isolates and inoculation methods on the ability of entomopathogenic fungi to colonize corn plants, and (2) the efect of colonized plants on S. frugiperda survival, development, reproduction, and food preference. Although all tested isolates (twelve of Beauveria bassiana and one each of Metarhizium anisopliae and Metarhizium robertsii) colonized inoculated plants, there was a highly signifcant interaction between isolates and inoculation methods. Highest plant colonization was obtained by Beauveria bassiana isolate (LPSc 1098) using foliar spray. Endophytic B. bassiana caused signifcant reductions in larval and pupal survival, length of diferent developmental stages, total S. frugiperda lifespan, and leaf area consumed by third instar larvae. Plant colonization also signifcantly reduced female longevity, fecundity, and fertility. This is the frst report for the negative efects of endophytic B. bassiana on S. frugiperda growth, reproduction, and food preference. Our results highlight the promising potential of incorporating entomopathogenic fungi as endophytes in integrated pest management practices to protect corn against FAW if their efcacy is also confrmed under feld conditions

Primer registro del hongo Neozygites sp. (Zygomycota: Entomophthorales), patógeno de Tetranychus urticae (Acari: Tetranychidae) en la República Argentina First record of Neozygites sp. (Zygomycota: Entomophthorales), pathogen of Tetranychus urticae (Acari: Tetranychidae) in Argentina

En el presente trabajo se cita por primera vez para la Argentina la presencia del hongo entomopatógeno Neozygites cf. floridana (Zygomycota: Zygomycetes: Entomophthorales) como patógeno de la «arañuela roja», Tetranychus urticae (Acari: Tetranychidae), importante plaga de cultivos hortícolas en la región. Los muestreos fueron realizados en el cinturón hortícola del Gran La Plata sobre cultivos de tomate, pimiento, berenjena, y otras hortalizas. El material de herbario, como preparaciones microscópicas y ácaros infectados fue depositado en el Herbario del Instituto de Botánica C. Spegazzini y en el herbario micológico del CEPAVE. Este trabajo contribuye a ampliar la distribución y el espectro de hospedadores de Neozygites , así como ampliar la información de los hongos entomopatógenos en la Argentina.In this paper, the presence of the fungi Neozygites cf. floridana (Zygomycota: Zygomycetes: Entomophthorales), as pathogen of the mite Tetranychus urticae (Acari: Tetranychidae), is recorded for first time in Argentina. Samplings were carried out in La Plata , on tomato, pepper, egg-plant, and other horticultural crops. Microscopic slides and mites infected were placed in the Herbarium of the Institute of Botany C. Spegazzini and in the Herbarium of CEPAVE. This work contributes to further expand the distribution and the host range of Neozygites as well as the information of entomopathogenic fungi in Argentina

Volcanic materials as carriers for the formulation of mycoinsecticides using the fungus Beauveria bassiana

Improvements in the formulation of biological insecticides are crucial to increase their stability and competitiveness in the market. The aim of this work was to evaluate the use of volcanic materials with different hydric retention capacities to increase the thermotolerance of B. bassiana conidia. Two pyroclastic rocks and a zeolite clinoptilolite were selected for this study. In addition, a commercial silica gel was used due to its reported capacity to increase conidial thermotolerance. Dry conidia were mixed with the materials to obtain a 2% w/w granular formulation, while conidial powder alone served as the control. Mixtures were stored at room temperature for 30 days and then exposed to 50 °C for two hours, and the viability was measured before and after the thermal exposure. No significant decrease in viability was observed for conidia stored with any of the pyroclastic materials, while the germination was reduced by 10, 17 and 23% for unformulated conidia, conidia stored with silica gel and conidia stored with zeolite, respectively. From these results, a pyroclastic rock was selected to test its capacity to maintain high viability under different temperatures (4, 25 and 35 °C) and humidities (~0 and 20%). A decrease in viability was observed with an increase of temperature, and lower viability was also recorded in humid treatments, but only at 25 and 35 °C.La optimización de las formulaciones de insecticidas biológicos resulta crucial para poder mejorar su estabilidad y competitividad en el mercado. El objetivo de este trabajo fue evaluar el uso de materiales volcánicos con diferente capacidad de retención hídrica para incrementar la termotolerancia de los conidios de B. bassiana. Para ello se seleccionaron dos tipos de rocas piroclásticas y una zeolita clinoptilolita. Además se usó sílica gel comercial debido a su conocida capacidad de incrementar la termotolerancia de los conidios. Los conidios secos fueron mezclados con los materiales para obtener una formulación en granulos al 2% p/p, mientras que el polvo de conidios sin aditivos se usó como control. Las mezclas se almacenaron a temperatura ambiente por 30 días y luego se expusieron a 50 °C durante dos horas. La viabilidad se midió antes y después de la exposición a alta temperatura. La viabilidad no se vio afectada por las altas temperaturas en los conidios almacenados con materiales piroclásticos, mientras que hubo una reducción del 10, 17 y 23% en la germinación en los conidios no formulados y en los conidios almacenados con sílica gel y zeolita respectivamente. Sobre la base de estos resultados se seleccionó una de las rocas piroclásticas para testear su capacidad de mantener una alta viabilidad bajo diferentes temperaturas (4, 25 y 35 °C) y humedades (~0 and 20%). Se observó una disminución en la viabilidad al aumentar la temperatura y también fue menor la viabilidad en los tratamientos húmedos, pero solamente a 25 y 35 °C

Prevalence of Pandora neoaphidis (Zygomycetes: Entomophthorales) infecting Nasonovia ribisnigri (Hemiptera: Aphididae) on lettuce crops in Argentina

Lettuce crops, Lactuca sativa, organically produced in La Plata, Argentina, were sampled in order to determine the prevalence of fungal diseased aphids. Nasonovia ribisnigri was the only aphid detected and its occurrence was highly variable. The fungal pathogen Pandora neoaphidis (Entomophthoromycotina: Entomophthorales) was the only pathogen detected. We recorded a maximum of 34.2 aphids per plant and the highest rate of fungal prevalence was 56.6% (n = 30) (aphids infected/total aphids). Infected aphids were observed in all sampling sites. No differences of infection rates were detected between the center and the edge of crops. Host density was an important factor determining infection. The majority of host population was comprised of nymphs which were the most infected in terms of individuals per habitat unit (lettuce plant), but considering the proportion of infected aphids per stage of development, the prevalence of infection in nymphs and adults was similar.Fil: Scorsetti, Ana Clara. Universidad Nacional de La Plata. Facultad de Ciencias Naturales y Museo. Instituto de Botánica Spegazzini; Argentina. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - La Plata; ArgentinaFil: Maciá, Arnaldo. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - La Plata. Centro de Estudios Parasitológicos y de Vectores. Universidad Nacional de La Plata. Facultad de Ciencias Naturales y Museo. Centro de Estudios Parasitológicos y de Vectores; ArgentinaFil: Steinkraus, D. C.. University of Arkansas; Estados UnidosFil: Lopez Lastra, Claudia Cristina. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - La Plata. Centro de Estudios Parasitológicos y de Vectores. Universidad Nacional de La Plata. Facultad de Ciencias Naturales y Museo. Centro de Estudios Parasitológicos y de Vectores; Argentin

Pathogenic and enzyme activities of the entomopathogenic fungus Tolypocladium cylindrosporum (Ascomycota: Hypocreales) from Tierra del Fuego, Argentina

Tolypocladium cylindrosporum is an entomopathogenic fungi that has been studied as a biological control agent against insects of several orders. The fungus has been isolated from the soil as well as from insects of the orders Coleoptera, Lepidoptera, Diptera and Hymenoptera. In this study, we analyzed the ability of a strain of T. cylindrosporum, isolated from soil samples taken in Tierra del Fuego, Argentina, to produce hydrolytic enzymes, and to study the relationship of those activities to the fungus pathogenicity against pest aphids. We have made the traditional and molecular characterization of this strain of T. cylindrosporum. The expression of hydrolase activity in the fungal strain was estimated at three incubation temperatures (4ºC, 12ºC and 24ºC), on different agar media supplemented with the following specific substrates: chitin azure, Tween ® 20, casein, and urea for chitinase, lipase, protease, and urease activity, respectively. The hydrolytic-enzyme activity was estimated qualitatively according to the presence of a halo of clarification through hydrolase action, besides was expressed semi-quantitatively as the ratio between the hydrolytic-halo and colony diameters. The pathogenicity of the fungus was tested on adults of the aphid Rhopalosiphum padi at three temperatures of incubation (4ºC, 12ºC and 24ºC). The suspension was adjusted to a concentration of 1x10 7 conidia/ml. In pathogenicity assays at seven days post-inoculation, the fungus caused the mortality of adults of Ropalosiphum padi at different temperatures also showed a broad ability to grow on several agar-culture media, supplemented with different carbon sources at the three incubation temperatures tested. Although, the growth was greater with higher incubation temperatures (with maximum levels at 24°C), the fungus reached similar colony diameters after 15 days of incubation on the medium supplemented with Tween® 20 at the lower two incubation temperatures of 4°C or 12°C. In accordance with the results on colony diameters, the fungus revealed an ability to degrade casein, chitin derivatives, Tween® 20, and urea as evidenced by the appearance of a halo around the fungal colony. Because of its origin and temperature tolerance, this Argentine strain has great potential for use as a biocontrol agent for insect pest control in cold and temperate environments

Endophytic fungi from selected varieties of soybean (Glycine max L. Merr.) and corn (Zea mays L.) grown in an agricultural area of Argentina

Endophytic fungi are ubiquitous and live within host plants without causing any noticeable symptoms of disease. Little is known about the diversity and function of fungal endophytes in plants, particularly in economically important species. The aim of this study was to determine the identity and diversity of endophytic fungi in leaves, stems and roots of soybean and corn plants and to determine their infection frequencies. Plants were collected in six areas of the provinces of Buenos Aires and Entre Ríos (Argentina) two areas were selected for sampling corn and four for soybean. Leaf, stem and root samples were surface-sterilized, cut into 1 cm2 pieces using a sterile scalpel and aseptically transferred to plates containing potato dextrose agar plus antibiotics. The species were identified using both morphological and molecular data. Fungal endophyte colonization in soybean plants was influenced by tissue type and varieties whereas in corn plants only by tissue type. A greater number of endophytes were isolated from stem tissues than from leaves and root tissues in both species of plants. The most frequently isolated species in all soybean cultivars was Fusarium graminearum and the least isolated one was Scopulariopsis brevicaulis. Furthermore, the most frequently isolated species in corn plants was Aspergillus terreus whereas the least isolated one was Aspergillus flavus. These results could be relevant in the search for endophytic fungi isolates that could be of interest in the control of agricultural pests.Los hongos endófitos son ubicuos y se encuentran en el interior de los tejidos de las plantas de manera asintomática. Se sabe muy poco acerca de la diversidad y la función de estos hongos, particularmente en especies de importancia económica. El objetivo de este trabajo fue determinar la diversidad y la frecuencia de colonización de hongos endófitos en raíces, tallos y hojas de 2 variedades de maíz y de 4 variedades de soja; las muestras se tomaron de 6 áreas diferentes ubicadas en las provincias de Buenos Aires y Entre Ríos (Argentina). Con un bisturí estéril se obtuvieron porciones de 1 cm2 de raíz, tallo y hoja, que fueron colocados en placas con agar papa dextrosa más antibiótico. Las especies de hongos fueron identificadas a partir de características morfológicas y moleculares. La colonización de hongos endófitos en soja estuvo influenciada por la variedad y por el tipo de tejido, en tanto que en el maíz solo hubo influencia del tipo de tejido. El mayor número de endófitos se encontró en los tallos de ambas especies. El aislamiento más frecuente en todas las variedades de soja fue Fusarium graminearum y el menos frecuente Scopulariopsis brevicaulis. En ambas variedades de maíz la especie con mayor frecuencia de aislamiento fue Aspergillus terreus y la de menor fue Aspergillus flavus. Estos resultados son relevantes para la búsqueda de especies de hongos endófitos que podrían ser de interés en el control de plagas agrícolas