scholarly journals The Inability of Spotted Lanternfly (Lycorma delicatula) to Vector a Plant Pathogen between its Preferred Host, Ailanthus altissima, in a Laboratory Setting

Insects ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 11 (8) ◽  
pp. 515
Author(s):  
Rachel K. Brooks ◽  
Ashley Toland ◽  
Andrew C. Dechaine ◽  
Thomas McAvoy ◽  
Scott Salom
Keyword(s):  
Biological Control ◽  
Plant Pathogens ◽  
Biological Control Agent ◽  
Life Stage ◽  
Later Life ◽  
Control Agent ◽  
Ailanthus Altissima ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Laboratory Setting ◽  
Lycorma Delicatula

With the recent introduction of the non-native spotted lanternfly (Lycorma delicatula) to the USA, research and concern regarding this insect is increasing. Though L. delicatula is able to feed on many different plant species, its preference for the invasive tree-of-heaven (Ailanthus altissima) is apparent, especially during its later life stage. Therefore, management focused on A. altissima control to help limit L. delicatula establishment and population growth has become popular. Unfortunately, the control of A. altissima is difficult. Verticillium nonalfalfae, a naturally occurring vascular-wilt pathogen, has recently received attention as a potential biological control agent. Therefore, we studied if L. delicatula fourth instars or adults could vector V. nonalfalfae from infected A. altissima material to healthy A. altissima seedlings in a laboratory setting. We were unable to re-isolate V. nonalfalfae from the 45 A. altissima seedlings or from the 225 L. delicatula utilized in this experiment. We therefore, found no support that L. delicatula could effectively vector this pathogen between A. altissima in laboratory conditions. Since L.delicatula’s ability to vector V. nonalfalfae has implications for the dissemination of both this beneficial biological control and other similar unwanted plant pathogens, future research is needed to confirm these findings in a field setting.

A pipeline for the genetic improvement of a biological control agent enhances its potential for controlling soil-borne plant pathogens

2021 ◽  
Vol 152 ◽  
pp. 104460
Author(s):  
Marcio Vinicius de Carvalho Barros Côrtes ◽  
Maythsulene Inacio de Sousa Oliveira ◽  
Jackeline Rossetti Mateus ◽  
Lucy Seldin ◽  
Valacia Lemes Silva-Lobo ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Biological Control ◽  
Genetic Improvement ◽  
Plant Pathogens ◽  
Biological Control Agent ◽  
Control Agent

Development of a strain-specific SCAR marker for the detection of Trichoderma atroviride 11, a biological control agent against soilborne fungal plant pathogens

2001 ◽  
Vol 38 (6) ◽  
pp. 343-350 ◽  
Author(s):  
M. Rosa Hermosa ◽  
Isabel Grondona ◽  
José María Díaz-Mínguez ◽  
Enrique A. Iturriaga ◽  
Enrique Monte
Keyword(s):  
Biological Control ◽  
Plant Pathogens ◽  
Scar Marker ◽  
Biological Control Agent ◽  
Control Agent ◽  
Trichoderma Atroviride ◽  
Fungal Plant Pathogens

scholarly journals Comparative Pathogenicity, Biocontrol Efficacy, and Multilocus Sequence Typing of Verticillium nonalfalfae from the Invasive Ailanthus altissima and Other Hosts

2014 ◽  
Vol 104 (3) ◽  
pp. 282-292 ◽  
Author(s):  
M. T. Kasson ◽  
D. P. G. Short ◽  
E. S. O'Neal ◽  
K. V. Subbarao ◽  
D. D. Davis
Keyword(s):  
Genetic Diversity ◽  
Biological Control ◽  
Multilocus Sequence Typing ◽  
Biocontrol Agent ◽  
Biological Control Agent ◽  
Control Agent ◽  
Sequence Type ◽  
Ailanthus Altissima ◽  
Verticillium Nonalfalfae ◽  
Strong Candidate

Verticillium wilt, caused by Verticillium nonalfalfae, is currently killing tens of thousands of highly invasive Ailanthus altissima trees within the forests in Pennsylvania, Ohio, and Virginia and is being considered as a biological control agent of Ailanthus. However, little is known about the pathogenicity and virulence of V. nonalfalfae isolates from other hosts on Ailanthus, or the genetic diversity among V. nonalfalfae from confirmed Ailanthus wilt epicenters and from locations and hosts not associated with Ailanthus wilt. Here, we compared the pathogenicity and virulence of several V. nonalfalfae and V. alfalfae isolates, evaluated the efficacy of the virulent V. nonalfalfae isolate VnAa140 as a biocontrol agent of Ailanthus in Pennsylvania, and performed multilocus sequence typing of V. nonalfalfae and V. alfalfae. Inoculations of seven V. nonalfalfae and V. alfalfae isolates from six plant hosts on healthy Ailanthus seedlings revealed that V. nonalfalfae isolates from hosts other than Ailanthus were not pathogenic on Ailanthus. In the field, 100 canopy Ailanthus trees were inoculated across 12 stands with VnAa140 from 2006 to 2009. By 2011, natural spread of the fungus had resulted in the mortality of >14,000 additional canopy Ailanthus trees, 10,000 to 15,000 Ailanthus sprouts, and nearly complete eradication of Ailanthus from several smaller inoculated stands, with the exception of a few scattered vegetative sprouts that persisted in the understory for several years before succumbing. All V. nonalfalfae isolates associated with the lethal wilt of Ailanthus, along with 18 additional isolates from 10 hosts, shared the same multilocus sequence type (MLST), MLST 1, whereas three V. nonalfalfae isolates from kiwifruit shared a second sequence type, MLST 2. All V. alfalfae isolates included in the study shared the same MLST and included the first example of V. alfalfae infecting a non-lucerne host. Our results indicate that V. nonalfalfae is host adapted and highly efficacious against Ailanthus and, thus, is a strong candidate for use as a biocontrol agent.

scholarly journals The Mode of Action of Bacillus Species against Fusarium graminearum, Tools for Investigation, and Future Prospects

Toxins ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 11 (10) ◽  
pp. 606 ◽  
Author(s):  
Khayalethu Ntushelo ◽  
Lesiba Klaas Ledwaba ◽  
Molemi Evelyn Rauwane ◽  
Oluwafemi Ayodeji Adebo ◽  
Patrick Berka Njobeh
Keyword(s):  
Biological Control ◽  
Fusarium Graminearum ◽  
Plant Pathogens ◽  
Biological Control Agent ◽  
Control Agent ◽  
Fungal Species ◽  
Bacillus Species ◽  
Future Studies ◽  
Biochemical Processes ◽  
Analytical Platforms

Fusarium graminearum is a pervasive plant pathogenic fungal species. Biological control agents employ various strategies to weaken their targets, as shown by Bacillus species, which adopt various mechanisms, including the production of bioactive compounds, to inhibit the growth of F. graminearum. Various efforts to uncover the antagonistic mechanisms of Bacillus against F. graminearum have been undertaken and have yielded a plethora of data available in the current literature. This perspective article attempts to provide a unified record of these interesting findings. The authors provide background knowledge on the use of Bacillus as a biocontrol agent as well as details on techniques and tools for studying the antagonistic mechanism of Bacillus against F. graminearum. Emphasizing its potential as a future biological control agent with extensive use, the authors encourage future studies on Bacillus as a useful antagonist of F. graminearum and other plant pathogens. It is also recommended to take advantage of the newly invented analytical platforms for studying biochemical processes to understand the mechanism of action of Bacillus against plant pathogens in general.

Population biology and biological control of nematodes

1992 ◽  
Vol 38 (5) ◽  
pp. 359-364 ◽  
Author(s):  
B. A. Jaffee
Keyword(s):  
Biological Control ◽  
Population Biology ◽  
Biological Control Agent ◽  
Host Density ◽  
Control Agent ◽  
Nematophagous Fungus ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Dynamics Modeling ◽  
Nematode Density ◽  
Minimum Number

We studied the population biology of the nematophagous fungus Hirsutella rhossiliensis to understand its potential as a biological control agent. Because the fungus is an infectious and transmissible parasite, we framed our study within an epidemiological context. Field observations, theory, and experiments demonstrated that (i) parasitism of nematodes by H. rhossiliensis is dependent on nematode density, (ii) local populations of the fungus will go extinct unless supplied with some minimum number of nematodes (the host threshold density), and (iii) natural epidemics of this fungus in populations of nematodes develop slowly and only after long periods of high host density. Additional in-depth research on population biology is needed to explain other biological control systems and to guide future research. The most effective research will combine field observation, theory, and experimentation. Key words: density-dependent parasitism, host-parasite dynamics, modeling, nematophagous fungi.

scholarly journals A new Aceria species (Acari:Trombidiformes: Eriophyoidea) from West Asia, a potential biological control agent for the invasive weed camelthorn, Alhagi maurorum Medik. (Leguminosae)

Acarologia ◽  
2018 ◽  
Vol 58 (2) ◽  
pp. 302-312
Author(s):  
Biljana Vidović ◽  
Hashem Kamali ◽  
Radmila Petanović ◽  
Massimo Cristofaro ◽  
Philip Weyl ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Biological Control ◽  
Biological Control Agent ◽  
Intraspecific Variability ◽  
Control Agent ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Invasive Weed ◽  
Noxious Weed ◽  
Eriophyoid Mite ◽  
Mitochondrial Cytochrome Oxidase ◽  
A New Species

A new species of eriophyoid mite Aceria alhagi n. sp. inhabiting the weed Alhagi maurorum Medik., is described from the type locality in Iran, but it was also collected from Uzbekistan, Turkey and Armenia. This mite causes changes of the leaves and inflorescence. Infested plants develop cauliflower-like galls on the inflorescence and leaves deforming the reproductive structures and inhibiting seed production. The potential reduction in seed set suggests that this mite could constitute a potential biological control agent against this noxious weed. To investigate intraspecific variability between A. alhagi n. sp. populations from Iran, Turkey and Armenia, we analysed molecular sequences of the mitochondrial cytochrome oxidase subunit I (mtCOI). These results indicated that there are no significant intraspecific divergences among populations of A.alhagi n. sp. from the five different localities in three West Asia countries. This finding can be used in the future research of certain mite populations as biological control agent.

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