Перспективы применения энтомопатогенных грибов вида Akanthomyces muscarius для защиты томата от вредителей и болезней

Abstract

This study assessed the efficacy of the entomopathogenic fungus Akanthomyces muscarius against the greenhouse whitefly Trialeurodes vaporariorum and the gray mold pathogen Botrytis cinerea. It was found that the area of B. cinerea infestation on tomato leaves was reduced after pre-treatment with conidia of two out of three A. muscarius strains. Strain Vl 61 demonstrated the greatest inhibitory effect on gray mold development. This strain, when applied to the whole tomato plants, most effectively suppressed disease development on the fourth day, with subsequent plant growth at the level of the control. When tomato leaves were infested with B. cinerea pre-inoculated with T. vaporariorum, whitefly mortality from treatment with Vl 61 spores was 69 % on the fourth day, 50 % higher than in the absence of B. cinerea. The efficacy of A. muscarius against the phytopathogen in the presence of whitefly larvae was significantly lower than on plants not inhabited by the whitefly. Fluorescence microscopy demonstrated the hyperparasitic properties of A. muscarius against B. cinerea. It was found that, when strain Vl 61* (labeled with a fluorescent tag) and the gray mold pathogen were grown together on agar medium, the fungal hyphae entwined B. cinerea hyphae, penetrating, growing, and emerging, destroying the pathogen’s cell walls. These results suggest that strain Vl 61 of A. muscarius holds promise for protecting tomatoes from B. cinerea and T. vaporariorum.