Testing Virulence of Different Species of Insect Associated Fungi against Yellow Mealworm (Coleoptera: Tenebrionidae) and Their Potential Growth Stimulation to Maize
This paper investigates 71 isolates of two genera of entomopathogens, <i>Metarhizium</i> and <i>Beauveria</i>, and a biostimulative genus <i>Trichoderma</i>, for their ability to infect yellow mealworms (<i>Tenebrio molitor</i>) and to stimulate maize...
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| Autores principales: | , , |
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| Formato: | article |
| Lenguaje: | EN |
| Publicado: |
MDPI AG
2021
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| Materias: | |
| Acceso en línea: | https://doaj.org/article/20b60b6d082d428094b36015a0cb11ca |
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| Sumario: | This paper investigates 71 isolates of two genera of entomopathogens, <i>Metarhizium</i> and <i>Beauveria</i>, and a biostimulative genus <i>Trichoderma</i>, for their ability to infect yellow mealworms (<i>Tenebrio molitor</i>) and to stimulate maize (<i>Zea mays</i>) growth. Fungal origin, host, and isolation methods were taken into account in virulence analysis as well. Isolates <i>Metarhizium brunneum</i> (1154) and <i>Beauveria bassiana</i> (2121) showed the highest mortality (100%) against <i>T. molitor</i>. High virulence seems to be associated with fungi isolated from wild adult mycosed insects, meadow habitats, and Lepidopteran hosts, but due to uneven sample distribution, we cannot draw firm conclusions. <i>Trichoderma atroviride</i> (2882) and <i>Trichoderma gamsii</i> (2883) increased shoot length, three <i>Metarhizium robertsii</i> isolates (2691, 2693, and 2688) increased root length and two <i>M. robertsii</i> isolates (2146 and 2794) increased plant dry weight. Considering both criteria, the isolate <i>M. robertsii</i> (2693) was the best as it caused the death of 73% <i>T. molitor</i> larvae and also significantly increased maize root length by 24.4%. The results warrant further studies with this isolate in a tri-trophic system. |
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