Antagonism of saprobe fungi from semiarid areas of the Northeast of Brazil against Sclerotinia sclerotiorum and biocontrol of soybean white mold

The antagonistic activity of 25 saprobe fungi from semiarid areas of Northeast Brazil was evaluated against Sclerotinia sclerotiorum (Lib.) de Bary (Helotiales: Sclerotiniaceae). Four fungi [Myrothecium sp. Tode (Hypocreales: Stachybotryaceae) isolate 2, Volutella minima Höhn. (Hypocreales: Nectriaceae), Phialomyces macrosporus P.C. Misra & P.H.B. Talbot (Pezizomycotina) and Dictyosporium tetraseriale Goh, Yanna & K.D. Hyde (Pleosporales: Dictyosporiaceae)] were selected and further tested their ability to inhibit mycelial growth, sclerotia formation and ascospore germination of S. sclerotiorum and to control white mold on soybean plants. V. minima and P. macrosporus filtrates at 50% effectively suppressed mycelial growth and Myrothecium sp. isolate 2 completely suppressed sclerotia formation and inhibited ascospore germination by over 95%, the same result as commercial fungicide fluazinam. Soybean plants pre-treated with Myrothecium sp. isolate 2, P. macrosporus, and V. minima and inoculated with S. sclerotiorum showed a reduction of 55.8%, 79.7%, and 83.2% of area under disease progress curve (AUDPC) of white mold, respectively, in relation to water. Collectively, these results underline the antagonistic activity of V. minima, P. macrosporus, and Myrothecium sp. isolate 2 against S. sclerotiorum and their potential as biocontrol agents of soybean white mold.

PHIALOMYCES MACROSPORUS REDUCES CERCOSPORA COFFEICOLA SURVIVAL ON SYMPTOMATIC COFFEE LEAVES

<p>Saprobe fungi and necrotrophic pathogens share the same niche within crop stubble and the search for fungi non-pathogenic to plants that are able to displace the plant pathogens from its overwintering substrate contributes to the disease management. Brown eye spot (<em>Cercospora coffeicola</em>) is among the most important coffee diseases, it is caused by a necrotrophic pathogen that has decaying leaves as its major source of inoculum. We have screened saprobe fungi for the ability to reduce <em>C. coffeicola</em> sporulation and viability and determined the possible mechanisms involved in the observed biocontrol. A selected saprobe fungus, <em>Phialomyces macrosporus</em>, reduced the pathogen’s viability by 40% both <em>in vitro</em> and <em>in vivo</em>. The fungus acts through antibiosis and competition for nutrients. It produced both volatile and non-volatile compounds that inhibited <em>C. coffeicola</em> growth, sporulation, and viability. It also produced the tissue maceration enzyme (polygalacturonase), which reduces the pathogen both in detached leaves or in planta. The reduction in the fungal viability either by the saprobe fungus or its polygalacturonase-fraction supernatant resulted in the reduction of the disease rate. Therefore, <em>P. macrosporus </em>is a potential microbial agent that can be used in an integrated management of brown eye spot through the reduction of the initial inoculum of the pathogen that survives and builds up in infected leaves.</p><p> </p>

Biological control of bacterial spot of tomato by saprobe fungi from semi-arid areas of northeastern Brazil

Bacterial spot of tomato, caused by Xanthomonas spp., is a common disease in tomato fields that causes significant economic losses. Due to the difficulty with control of bacterial spot by conventional methods, new techniques such as biological control and induction of resistance are gaining prominence. This study aimed to select saprobe fungi from semi-arid regions of the Brazilian Northeast for the biological control of bacterial spot of tomato. To select the best isolates to control bacterial spot, a greenhouse experiment was initially conducted. Tomato plants (‘Santa Cruz Kada’) were treated with filtrates of 25 saprobe fungi and inoculated three days later with Xanthomonas euvesicatoria. Filtrates of Memnoniella levispora, Periconia hispidula, Zygosporium echinosporum, and Chloridium virescens var. virescens were selected as the most effective. Filtrates and volatile compounds from these four isolates were tested for their antibacterial activity in cultures of X. euvesicatoria and in tomato plants (‘Santa Cruz Kada’) inoculated with X. euvesicatoria. In vitro, the addition of nonvolatile fungal metabolites into the culture medium at 5% and 50% (v/v) inhibited bacterial growth by 28.9% and 53.8%, respectively. The volatile compounds produced by C. virescens var. virescens reduced the number of colony-forming units of X. euvesicatoria by 25.9%. In vivo, all treatments reduced from 62.4 to 71.3% the area under bacterial spot progress curve, showing the same control efficacy as the commercial resistance inducer used as a positive control (acibenzolar-S-methyl). Systemicity of the fungal filtrates was confirmed in a separate experiment, where application of the treatments exclusively to the third leaf decreased the severity of the disease on the fourth leaf (except for C. virescens var. virescens). These results show that M. levispora, P. hispidula, Z. echinosporum, and C. virescens var. virescens are potential biocontrol agents against bacterial spot of tomato. Further studies are necessary to elucidate the disease control mechanisms of saprobe fungi.