Fungal and Bacterial Endophytes as Microbial Control Agents for Plant-Parasitic Nematodes

Endophytes are symbiotic microorganisms that colonize plant tissues and benefit plants in multiple ways including induced systemic resistance to biotic and abiotic stresses. Endophytes can be sustainable alternatives to chemical nematicides and enhance plant health in a variety of cropping and natural environments. Several in vitro and in vivo studies demonstrated the potential of multiple species of Fusarium and Bacillus against plant-parasitic nematodes in horticultural, agricultural, and fodder crops and in forestry. While there were efforts to commercialize some of the endophytes as bionematicides, a lack of good formulations with consistent field efficacy has been a major hurdle in commercializing endophytes for nematode control. Identification of efficacious and environmentally resilient strains, a thorough understanding of their modes of action, interactions with various biotic and abiotic factors, and developing strategies that improve their effectiveness are critical areas to advance the commercialization of bionematicides based on fungal and bacterial endophytes.

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Nematicidal effects of cysteine proteinases against sedentary plant parasitic nematodes

Parasitology ◽

10.1017/s0031182007003289 ◽

2007 ◽

Vol 134 (12) ◽

pp. 1831-1838 ◽

Cited By ~ 10

Author(s):

G. STEPEK ◽

R. H. C. CURTIS ◽

B. R. KERRY ◽

P. R. SHEWRY ◽

S. J. CLARK ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Plant Extracts ◽

Specific Inhibitor ◽

Parasitic Nematodes ◽

Cysteine Proteinases ◽

Plant Parasitic Nematodes ◽

Second Stage ◽

Anthelmintic Efficacy ◽

Plant Parasitic

SUMMARYCysteine proteinases from the fruit and latex of plants, such as papaya, pineapple and fig, have previously been shown to have substantial anthelmintic efficacy, in vitro and in vivo, against a range of animal parasitic nematodes. In this paper, we describe the in vitro effects of these plant extracts against 2 sedentary plant parasitic nematodes of the genera Meloidogyne and Globodera. All the plant extracts examined caused digestion of the cuticle and decreased the activity of the tested nematodes. The specific inhibitor of cysteine proteinases, E-64, blocked this activity completely, indicating that it was essentially mediated by cysteine proteinases. In vitro, plant cysteine proteinases are active against second-stage juveniles of M. incognita and M. javanica, and some cysteine proteinases also affect the second-stage juveniles of Globodera rostochiensis. It is not known yet whether these plant extracts will interfere with, or prevent invasion of, host plants.

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Optimizing Safe Approaches to Manage Plant-Parasitic Nematodes

Plants ◽

10.3390/plants10091911 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 10 (9) ◽

pp. 1911

Author(s):

Mahfouz M. M. Abd-Elgawad

Keyword(s):

Crop Yields ◽

Abiotic Factors ◽

Alternative Methods ◽

Soil Microbiome ◽

Parasitic Nematodes ◽

Control Mechanisms ◽

Plant Parasitic Nematodes ◽

Safe Alternative ◽

Microbial Groups ◽

Plant Parasitic

Plant-parasitic nematodes (PPNs) infect and cause substantial yield losses of many foods, feed, and fiber crops. Increasing concern over chemical nematicides has increased interest in safe alternative methods to minimize these losses. This review focuses on the use and potential of current methods such as biologicals, botanicals, non-host crops, and related rotations, as well as modern techniques against PPNs in sustainable agroecosystems. To evaluate their potential for control, this review offers overviews of their interactions with other biotic and abiotic factors from the standpoint of PPN management. The positive or negative roles of specific production practices are assessed in the context of integrated pest management. Examples are given to reinforce PPN control and increase crop yields via dual-purpose, sequential, and co-application of agricultural inputs. The involved PPN control mechanisms were reviewed with suggestions to optimize their gains. Using the biologicals would preferably be backed by agricultural conservation practices to face issues related to their reliability, inconsistency, and slow activity against PPNs. These practices may comprise offering supplementary resources, such as adequate organic matter, enhancing their habitat quality via specific soil amendments, and reducing or avoiding negative influences of pesticides. Soil microbiome and planted genotypes should be manipulated in specific nematode-suppressive soils to conserve native biologicals that serve to control PPNs. Culture-dependent techniques may be expanded to use promising microbial groups of the suppressive soils to recycle in their host populations. Other modern techniques for PPN control are discussed to maximize their efficient use.

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Biological attributes of Salibro™, a novel sulfonamide nematicide. Part 2: Impact on the fitness of various non-target nematodes

Nematology ◽

10.1163/15685411-bja10041 ◽

2020 ◽

pp. 1-17 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Tim C. Thoden ◽

Mariam A. Alkader ◽

John A. Wiles

Keyword(s):

Negative Impact ◽

Soil Health ◽

Agar Plate ◽

Parasitic Nematodes ◽

Published Data ◽

Plant Parasitic Nematodes ◽

Free Living ◽

Plant Parasitic ◽

Novel Products

Summary Currently a renaissance in chemical nematicides is taking place with novel products like Nimitz® (a.s. fluensulfone), Velum Prime® (a.s. fluopyram) and Salibro™ (a.s. fluazaindolizine – Reklemel™ active) entering the marketplace. Although a considerable amount of published data is already available on their laboratory and field impact on plant-parasitic nematodes, little is understood of their compatibility with the beneficial or free-living nematodes that are part of the soil health network. In a range of laboratory studies, the effects of these nematicides on the vitality and reproduction of several species was tested, including both cosmopolitan free-living nematodes (Acrobeloides, Cruznema, Panagrobelus) as well as commercially applied entomopathogenic nematodes (Steinernema, Heterorhabditis). Within aqueous exposure and agar plate in vitro assays, species sensitivity to those nematicides differed significantly but their fitness (vitality and reproduction; infectivity to insect hosts) was generally not adversely impacted by concentrations of 5-50 ppm (a.s.) of Salibro. Even at 250 ppm (a.s.) of Salibro only some species of the bacterial-feeding species showed some negative impact. By contrast, both Nimitz at 50 ppm (a.s.) and Velum at 5 ppm (a.s.) consistently demonstrated stronger adverse impacts. In second level soil drenching assays, either no, or occasionally slight, adverse effects on the natural community of free-living nematodes were observed if soils were drenched with different volumes of Salibro at 5-50 ppm (a.s.), while relatively stronger reductions were measured within the plant-parasitic species (especially root-knot nematodes). Both Nimitz and Vydate (a.s. oxamyl) showed some degree of compatibility at 5 and 25 ppm (a.s.), respectively, which was generally higher than for Velum Prime at 5 ppm (a.s.). Overall, these data indicate that, when used at common field rates, Salibro will be one of the best options as part of integrated nematode management programmes where the use of chemical nematicides is required.

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Differential Response of Meloidogyne, Pratylenchus, Globodera, and Xiphinema Species to the Nematicide Fluazaindolizine

Phytopathology ◽

10.1094/phyto-05-20-0189-r ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 110 (12) ◽

pp. 2003-2009

Author(s):

Catherine L. Wram ◽

Inga Zasada

Keyword(s):

Untreated Control ◽

Exposure Dose ◽

Parasitic Nematodes ◽

Plant Parasitic Nematodes ◽

Response Curves ◽

Greenhouse Study ◽

Meloidogyne Spp ◽

The Impact ◽

Plant Parasitic

This research focused on the effects of fluazaindolizine on a diversity of plant-parasitic nematodes. In microwell assays, 24-h dose-response curves were generated for several species and populations of Meloidogyne, Pratylenchus neglectus, P. penetrans, Globodera ellingtonae, and Xiphinema americanum. In a greenhouse study, the impact of fluazaindolizine on fecundity of M. incognita, M. hapla, and M. chitwoodi was tested by exposing nematodes for 24 h in solution and inoculating on tomato. The average 24-h ED50s (dose that resulted in the immobility of 50% of exposed nematodes) for M. hapla, M. chitwoodi, and M. incognita were 325.7, 223.4, and 100.7 ppm, respectively. M. hapla had the most variation among populations, with 24-h ED50s ranging from 72 to 788 ppm. G. ellingtonae had the lowest 24-h ED50 at 30 ppm. Pratylenchus spp. were unaffected by fluazaindolizine. X. americanum was the only species where effects of fluazaindolizine were reversible, but had a 24-h ED50 that fell in the range of the Meloidogyne spp. In the greenhouse study, M. chitwoodi was the least sensitive with reproduction reaching 62% of the untreated control after a pre-exposure to 47 ppm, whereas M. incognita and M. hapla at the same exposure dose had reproduction rates of 27 and 36% of the untreated control, respectively. Despite varying in in vitro responses to fluazaindolizine, reproduction of all Meloidogyne spp. was suppressed after only 24 h of exposure. This study expanded our understanding of how G. ellingtonae, P. thornei, P. penetrans, and X. americanum respond to fluazaindolizine.

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Activity of Saponins from Medicago Species against Phytoparasitic Nematodes

Plants ◽

10.3390/plants9040443 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 9 (4) ◽

pp. 443 ◽

Cited By ~ 2

Author(s):

Trifone D’Addabbo ◽

Maria Pia Argentieri ◽

Jerzy Żuchowski ◽

Elisa Biazzi ◽

Aldo Tava ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Meloidogyne Incognita ◽

In Vitro Assays ◽

Parasitic Nematodes ◽

Plant Parasitic Nematodes ◽

Phytoparasitic Nematodes ◽

Phytochemical Profile ◽

Medicago Species ◽

Phytoparasitic Nematode ◽

Plant Parasitic

Content of bioactive saponins of Medicago species suggests that they may also exert, as previously demonstrated on M. sativa, nematicidal properties exploitable for the formulation of new products for sustainable phytoparasitic nematode management. This study was addressed to highlight the bioactivity of saponins from five different Medicago species still poorly known for their biological efficacy, i.e., M. heyniana, M. hybrida, M. lupulina, M. murex and M. truncatula, against the plant parasitic nematodes Meloidogyne incognita, Xiphinema index and Globodera rostochiensis. The bioactivity of the extracts from the five Medicago species was assessed by in vitro assays on the juveniles (J2) and eggs of M. incognita and G. rostochiensis and the adult females of X. index. The suppressiveness to M. incognita of soil treatments with the Medicago plant biomasses was also investigated in a tomato experiment. The nematicidal activity of the five Medicago species was reported and discussed in relation to their phytochemical profile.

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The use of Pluronic F-127 to study the development of the potato cyst nematode, Globodera pallida

Nematology ◽

10.1163/156854112x631944 ◽

2012 ◽

Vol 14 (7) ◽

pp. 869-873 ◽

Cited By ~ 5

Author(s):

Ayano Sasaki-Crawley ◽

Rosane Curtis ◽

Michael Birkett ◽

Apostolos Papadopoulos ◽

Rod Blackshaw ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Aqueous Solution ◽

Solanum Tuberosum ◽

Transgenic Plants ◽

Cyst Nematode ◽

Potato Cyst Nematode ◽

Globodera Pallida ◽

Parasitic Nematodes ◽

Plant Parasitic Nematodes ◽

Plant Parasitic

This paper demonstrates a simple novel in vitro method using Pluronic F-127 aqueous solution to study the development of the potato cyst nematode, Globodera pallida, in Solanum spp. without any need for sterilisation of either the plants or the nematodes. In this study, this method was successfully applied to comparative studies on the development of G. pallida in Solanum tuberosum (potato) or S. sisymbriifolium (sticky nightshade). The protocol described here could be useful for screening transgenic plants or different plant cultivars/species for their ability to allow development not only of G. pallida but also any other plant-parasitic nematodes.

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Toxicity of ethanol solutions and vapours against Meloidogyne incognita

Nematology ◽

10.1163/15685411-00003046 ◽

2017 ◽

Vol 19 (3) ◽

pp. 271-280 ◽

Cited By ~ 6

Author(s):

Julio C.P. Silva ◽

Vicente P. Campos ◽

Eduardo S. Freire ◽

Willian C. Terra ◽

Liliana E. Lopez

Keyword(s):

Root System ◽

Meloidogyne Incognita ◽

Parasitic Nematodes ◽

Infested Soil ◽

Large Reduction ◽

Plant Parasitic Nematodes ◽

Second Stage ◽

Plant Parasitic

Ethanol (EtOH) is less harmful to humans than currently available nematicide molecules. This study evaluated the efficacy of EtOH in controlling Meloidogyne incognita in vitro and in lettuce plants under glasshouse conditions. Aqueous EtOH solutions (5-70% volume) and their vapours caused an acute nematicidal effect in vitro in second-stage juveniles (J2) of M. incognita and reduced hatching of J2. There was a large reduction of galls and eggs in the root system when 40 ml of EtOH was applied to M. incognita-infested soil at concentrations of 40 and 70%. Water exposed to EtOH vapours for 1 h became toxic, and a 12-h exposure caused 100% J2 mortality. Use of a plastic cover did not increase the efficiency of EtOH in controlling M. incognita in lettuce plants. The observed EtOH effects indicate its prospective use in controlling plant-parasitic nematodes, especially in glasshouses.

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Critical Evaluation of Two Commercial Biocontrol Agents for Their Efficacy against B. cinerea under In Vitro and In Vivo Conditions in Relation to Different Abiotic Factors

Agronomy ◽

10.3390/agronomy11091868 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 11 (9) ◽

pp. 1868

Author(s):

Gurkan Tut ◽

Naresh Magan ◽

Philp Brain ◽

Xiangming Xu

Keyword(s):

Dose Response ◽

Abiotic Factors ◽

Critical Evaluation ◽

Leaf Disc ◽

Biocontrol Agents ◽

In Vivo Studies ◽

Response Relationship ◽

Dose Response Relationship

The study evaluated the dose–response relationship of two commercial microbial biocontrol agents, Bacillus subtilis and Gliocladium catenulatum, against Botrytis cinerea both in vitro and in vivo. Inoculum doses, formulation, temperature and foliar leaf part all affected the control achieved by the two BCAs. In vitro competition assays on modified PDA plates tested a range of BCA doses (log10 3–10 CFUs or spores/droplet) at 4, 10 and 20 °C on the development of B. cinerea colonies. The dose–response relationship was influenced by both the BCA formulation and temperature. In vivo studies on lettuce plants in semi-commercial greenhouses examined the BCA dose (log10 5–9 CFUs or spores/mL) for controlling B. cinerea with a high inoculum (log10 6 spores/mL). Leaf disc assays showed that the dose–response relationship was influenced by the leaf parts sampled. These results suggest that the dose–response relationship between a BCA and specific pathogen will be significantly influenced by environmental conditions, formulation and plant phyllosplane tissue.

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The impact of management strategies on the development and status of potato cyst nematode populations in Switzerland: An overview from 1958 to present

Plant Disease ◽

10.1094/pdis-04-21-0800-sr ◽

2021 ◽

Author(s):

Andrea Caroline Ruthes ◽

Paul Dahlin

Keyword(s):

Integrated Management ◽

Abiotic Factors ◽

Management Strategies ◽

Monitoring Program ◽

Cyst Nematode ◽

Globodera Pallida ◽

Parasitic Nematodes ◽

Plant Parasitic Nematodes ◽

The Impact ◽

Plant Parasitic

Globodera rostochiensis and Globodera pallida are some of the most successful and highly specialized plant-parasitic nematodes, and appear among the most regulated quarantine pests globally. In Switzerland, they have been monitored by annual surveys since their first detection in Swiss soil, in 1958. The dataset created was reviewed to give an overview of the development and actual status of PCN in Switzerland. Positive fields represent 0.2% of all the samples analyzed, and currently their distribution is limited to central-west and western Switzerland, suggesting that new introduction of PCN and the spread of the initial introduced PCN populations did not occur. In this way, the integrated management used in Switzerland appears to be effective. However, the increasing availability of potato varieties with resistance to G. rostochiensis and the limited availability of varieties with resistance to G. pallida, together with other biotic and abiotic factors promoted changes in the dominance of either species. Consequently, an extended monitoring program would be of interest to Swiss farmers, to avoid favoring virulent traits that could be present within Swiss Globodera populations.

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Humic acid – a potential bioresource for nematode control

Nematology ◽

10.1163/15685411-bja10116 ◽

2021 ◽

pp. 1-10

Author(s):

Seenivasan Nagachandrabose ◽

Richard Baidoo

Keyword(s):

Humic Acid ◽

Crop Production ◽

Trichoderma Viride ◽

Foliar Spray ◽

Crop Productivity ◽

Systemic Resistance ◽

Parasitic Nematodes ◽

Nematode Control ◽

Plant Parasitic Nematodes ◽

Plant Parasitic

Summary There is a growing interest in the use of natural products for crop production and protection. Humic acid is a well-known bioresource that intensifies soil functions and improves crop productivity. This review article provides a synopsis of the humic acid-plant-nematode association and the prospects for using humic acid as an alternative to chemical control of nematodes. Humic acid is known to have toxic and antagonistic effects against many plant-parasitic nematodes, including Meloidogyne spp., Rotylenchulus reniformis, Radopholus similis and Helicotylenchus multicinctus. The required dose for getting significant nematode control ranges from 0.04 to 2.0% concentration. Delivery methods like soil application or drenching, seedling root dip treatment and foliar spray on leaves are effective for nematode control. Humic acid controls plant-parasitic nematodes through various mechanisms including killing juveniles, inhibiting hatching, reducing nematode infectivity and reproduction, and inducing systemic resistance. Humic acid is compatible with bio-inoculants such as Azospirillum spp., phosphobacterium, Bacillus megaterium, Pseudomonas fluorescens, Trichoderma viride, Glomus spp., Pochonia chlamydosporia, Purpureocillium lilacinum and T. asperellum. These attributes of humic acid show a promising potential for use in nematode control. However, further work on bio-efficacy against a broad spectrum of plant-parasitic nematodes is needed.

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