Potential of Lecanicillium species for dual microbial control of aphids and the cucumber powdery mildew fungus, Sphaerotheca fuliginea

• Published in: Biological control Vol. 40; no. 3; pp. 327 - 332
• Main Authors: Kim, Jeong Jun, Goettel, Mark S., Gillespie, David R.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Elsevier Inc 01.03.2007
• Subjects: Aphid; Aphididae; Aulacorthum solani; biological control agents; Cucumis sativus; disease control; Entomopathogenic fungi; fungal antagonists; insect control; Lecanicillium attenuatum; Lecanicillium longisporum; Macrosiphum euphorbiae; Microbial control; Myzus persicae; plant pathogenic fungi; Powdery mildew; Simultaneous control; Sphaerotheca fuliginea; Torrubiella confragosa; Verticillium lecanii; virulence; Lecanicillium attenuatum; Macrosiphum euphorbiae; Lecanicillium longisporum; Microbial control; Aulacorthum solani; Simultaneous control; Entomopathogenic fungi; Aphid; Verticillium lecanii; Myzus persicae; Powdery mildew; Sphaerotheca fuliginea
• ISSN: 1049-9644; 1090-2112
• DOI: 10.1016/j.biocontrol.2006.12.002

Detached leaf disc bioassays were conducted against cucumber powdery mildew and three species of aphid with three entomopathogenic species of Lecanicillium; Lecanicillium longisporum (Vertalec ®), Lecanicillium attenuatum (CS625), and an unidentified isolate (DAOM198499). The three Lecanicillium species had high virulence against the aphids Myzus persicae, Macrosiphum euphorbiae and Aulacorthum solani with the exception of DAOM 198499, which demonstrated reduced virulence to A. solani with an LT 50 of 6.4 days. Otherwise, LT 50 ranged between two and four days. Suspensions of conidia and blastospores of the Lecanicillium species were also applied onto 15 mm leaf discs dissected from cucumber plants previously inoculated with Sphaerotheca fuliginea. Powdery mildew did not develop when the Lecanicillium applications were made one and eight days after S. fuliginea inoculations. When Lecanicillium was applied to highly infected leaf discs 11 and 15 days after S. fuliginea inoculation, the application suppressed subsequent production of S. fuliginea spores as compared to the controls. These results suggest the potential of a dual role for Lecanicillium spp. as microbial control agents against aphids and powdery mildew.