Abundance, Genetic Diversity and Persistence of Metarhizium Spp. Fungi from Soil of Strawberry Crops and Their Potential as Biological Control Agents against the Two-Spotted Spider Mite Tetranychus urticae

TY - BOOK

T1 - Abundance, Genetic Diversity and Persistence of Metarhizium Spp. Fungi from Soil of Strawberry Crops and Their Potential as Biological Control Agents against the Two-Spotted Spider Mite Tetranychus urticae

AU - Castro, Thiago Rodriguesde

PY - 2016

Y1 - 2016

N2 - The growing demand for strawberries has imposed challenges, especially regarding the control of pests. Many farmers report problems with reduced chemical control efficiency, probably due to selection of resistant populations of insects and mites. An alternative is the use of biological control using pathogenic fungi as a tool in integrated pest management. Metarhizium spp. (Hypocreales: Clavicipitaceae) are generalist entomopathogenic fungi with worldwide distribution and can cause diseases in a large number of hosts. Many studies on the development of Metarhizium as a biological control agent were performed, but this bulk of knowledge is in remarkable contrast to the lack of research on the fundamental ecology of Metarhizium in agroecosystems. This thesis aimed to evaluate the establishment, persistence and dispersal of these entomopathogenic fungi in strawberry crop soil in Inconfidentes, Minas Gerais, Brazil; and to study the diversity and abundance of species of Metarhizium isolated from organic and conventional strawberry crop soils, and from the field margins in Brazil and Denmark. The effectiveness of new species of Metarhizium recently found in Brazil, was evaluated against the two spotted spider mite, Tetranychus urticae. The applied isolates of M. anisopliae (ESALQ1037) and M. robertsii (ESALQ1426) were able to persist for up to 12 months after the application within the soil, and disperse to other plots and colonize the rhizosphere of strawberry plants. In the plots where ESALQ1037 and ESALQ1426 were applied, 25% and 87.5% of the isolates recovered after 12 months consisted of the same isolates inoculated. A new taxonomically unassigned lineage, referred to as Metarhizium sp. Indet. 5 in this study, was found in strawberry crop margins. The dominant species of Metarhizium in Brazil and Denmark was Metarhizium robertsii and M. brunneum respectively. Further, Metarhizium pemphigi was first detected in Denmark in this study. Soil in organically grown strawberries harbored a more diverse population of Metarhizium spp. compared with conventionally grown strawberries. These studies showed for the first time the potential of new species of Metarhizium as spider mite biological control agents. The lowest median lethal time (LT50 = 4 ± 0.17 days) was observed in mites treated with the isolate ESALQ1638 of Metarhizium sp. indet. 1. The best isolates were ESALQPL63 of B. bassiana, ESALQ1608 and ESALQ1638 of Metarhizium sp. indet. 1 and ESALQ3069 and ESALQ3222 of M. pingshaense based on the survival curve, total mortality, percentage of sporulated cadavers and LT50. Knowledge of the diversity of Metarhizium spp. and persistence in strawberry soil, generated in this study, may be useful in developing conservation strategies and maximizing the natural biological pest control

AB - The growing demand for strawberries has imposed challenges, especially regarding the control of pests. Many farmers report problems with reduced chemical control efficiency, probably due to selection of resistant populations of insects and mites. An alternative is the use of biological control using pathogenic fungi as a tool in integrated pest management. Metarhizium spp. (Hypocreales: Clavicipitaceae) are generalist entomopathogenic fungi with worldwide distribution and can cause diseases in a large number of hosts. Many studies on the development of Metarhizium as a biological control agent were performed, but this bulk of knowledge is in remarkable contrast to the lack of research on the fundamental ecology of Metarhizium in agroecosystems. This thesis aimed to evaluate the establishment, persistence and dispersal of these entomopathogenic fungi in strawberry crop soil in Inconfidentes, Minas Gerais, Brazil; and to study the diversity and abundance of species of Metarhizium isolated from organic and conventional strawberry crop soils, and from the field margins in Brazil and Denmark. The effectiveness of new species of Metarhizium recently found in Brazil, was evaluated against the two spotted spider mite, Tetranychus urticae. The applied isolates of M. anisopliae (ESALQ1037) and M. robertsii (ESALQ1426) were able to persist for up to 12 months after the application within the soil, and disperse to other plots and colonize the rhizosphere of strawberry plants. In the plots where ESALQ1037 and ESALQ1426 were applied, 25% and 87.5% of the isolates recovered after 12 months consisted of the same isolates inoculated. A new taxonomically unassigned lineage, referred to as Metarhizium sp. Indet. 5 in this study, was found in strawberry crop margins. The dominant species of Metarhizium in Brazil and Denmark was Metarhizium robertsii and M. brunneum respectively. Further, Metarhizium pemphigi was first detected in Denmark in this study. Soil in organically grown strawberries harbored a more diverse population of Metarhizium spp. compared with conventionally grown strawberries. These studies showed for the first time the potential of new species of Metarhizium as spider mite biological control agents. The lowest median lethal time (LT50 = 4 ± 0.17 days) was observed in mites treated with the isolate ESALQ1638 of Metarhizium sp. indet. 1. The best isolates were ESALQPL63 of B. bassiana, ESALQ1608 and ESALQ1638 of Metarhizium sp. indet. 1 and ESALQ3069 and ESALQ3222 of M. pingshaense based on the survival curve, total mortality, percentage of sporulated cadavers and LT50. Knowledge of the diversity of Metarhizium spp. and persistence in strawberry soil, generated in this study, may be useful in developing conservation strategies and maximizing the natural biological pest control

UR - https://soeg.kb.dk/permalink/45KBDK_KGL/fbp0ps/alma99122912272305763

M3 - Ph.D. thesis

BT - Abundance, Genetic Diversity and Persistence of Metarhizium Spp. Fungi from Soil of Strawberry Crops and Their Potential as Biological Control Agents against the Two-Spotted Spider Mite Tetranychus urticae

PB - Department of Plant and Environmental Sciences, Faculty of Science, University of Copenhagen

ER -