Potential for Use of Species in the Subfamily Erynioideae for Biological Control and Biotechnology

Author: mycolabadmin
2024-01-14
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Summary

This research examines fungi that naturally infect and kill pest insects, exploring their potential use as natural pesticides. These fungi could provide environmentally friendly alternatives to chemical pesticides for controlling agricultural and forest pests. Impact on everyday life: – Could lead to safer, more natural pest control options for farmers and gardeners – May reduce reliance on chemical pesticides in food production – Could help protect forests and crops from destructive insects more sustainably – Might provide new tools for controlling disease-carrying insects like mosquitoes – Could contribute to more environmentally friendly agricultural practices

Background

The fungal order Entomophthorales in the Zoopagomycota includes many fungal pathogens of arthropods. The subfamily Erynioideae within the family Entomophthoraceae is the largest subfamily, containing 126 described species across six genera: Erynia, Furia, Orthomyces, Pandora, Strongwellsea, and Zoophthora. These fungi have diverse ecological, physiological and morphological adaptations and evolved to infect a wide range of arthropod species using ballistic conidia.

Objective

To characterize several critical aspects of the lifestyles of species within the six genera of Erynioideae (EFOPSZ) and analyze their potential for biological control applications. The study aimed to identify which species demonstrate the most potential for future use in biological control and determine specific insect groups where application of these species as biocontrol agents might be most successful.

Results

The study found that flies (Diptera) are the most frequent hosts, with over one-third of EFOPSZ fungi infecting them. About 25% infect Hemiptera, and smaller numbers attack Coleoptera and Lepidoptera. One-third of EFOPSZ species can parasitize two or more insect families. Zoophthora radicans emerged as an absolute generalist, infecting insects across 7 orders and 21 families. Few species can be cultivated on typical fungal media, with only one species (Z. radicans) having its genome sequenced. The fungi show varying distributions globally, with most records from Central European countries, UK, North America, and China.

Conclusion

Zoophthora radicans and Pandora neoaphidis were identified as the most promising candidates for biological control development. Z. radicans shows potential for controlling lepidopteran larvae in agricultural and forest ecosystems, while P. neoaphidis could control numerous aphid species in cereals and legumes. P. cacopsyllae shows promise for psyllid pest control in orchards. Major challenges include difficulty in cultivation, requirements for specific environmental conditions, and low survival rates outside hosts. Advances in genome sequencing may enable access to virulence factors that could be harnessed for future biotechnological solutions.

Published in:Microorganisms,
Study Type:Review,
Source: 10.3390/microorganisms12010168