Abstract
BackgroundThe fungus, Beauveria bassiana (Bals.) Vuil., is one of the most important entomopathogenic fungi (EPFs). Recently, its new role was discovered in nature, to be an endophyte in plants. It has been reported as an endophytic fungus in many monocotyledonous and dicotyledonous plants.Main bodyThe study was conducted to evaluate the ability of the fungus, B. bassiana, to colonize and persist in cucumber plants under laboratory conditions and to detect its systemic growth inside the plant tissues in addition to pathogenicity in the plant. The isolate, B195, of the fungus, B. bassiana, was used. Five different inoculation methods were followed: seed dusting, seed immersion, soil drench, seedling drench, and foliar spray. The fungus, B. bassiana, could persist inside different cucumber tissues up to 90 days from inoculation. Soil drench provided the highest recovery rates, while foliar spray gave the lowest rates. Colonization rates reached 94.44 and 73.68% for stem and 68.26 and 37.79% for root, 30 and 90 days post soil drench, respectively, while in foliar spray, it reached 33.51 and 16.45%, after 30 and 90 days post-treatment, for the stem and 9.45 and 0% for the root, respectively. No negative effects were observed in inoculated plants or on fungal pathogenicity.ConclusionResults showed for the first time the ability of the fungus, B. bassiana, isolate B195, to artificially colonize and survive in different parts of cucumber plants under laboratory conditions by different inoculation methods and to grow systemically in plant tissues. This study is considered a preliminary study to the utilization of the fungus, B. bassiana, as an endophyte in cucumber plants to reduce the density of insect pests.
Highlights
Materials and methods Fungal isolate The isolated fungus (B195), B. bassiana, was used
Presence and persistence of the endophyte in cucumber plant All fungal inoculation methods resulted in an endophytic establishment of the fungus, B. bassiana, in cucumber plants under the laboratory conditions (Table 1), and the fungus survived inside the plant up to 90 days of the inoculation (Fig. 1), whereas no presence of the fungus was observed in the control plants, indicating the absence of natural endophytes and contamination
Soil drench provided the highest colonization of various cucumber parts, followed by seed immersion and seed dusting, while foliar spray gave the lowest values
Summary
Materials and methods Fungal isolate The isolated fungus (B195), B. bassiana, was used. Its new role was discovered in nature, to be an endophyte in plants It has been reported as an endophytic fungus in many monocotyledonous and dicotyledonous plants. Some of the EPFs have shown an ability to colonize tissues of a number of plants endophytically, which provide protection against various insect pests, and the term “endophytic entomopathogenic fungi” (EEPFs) was introduced (Ownley et al 2010; Vidal and Jaber 2015). More interests about the role of the fungus, B. bassiana, as an endophyte in plants, have been shown. It can colonize different parts of the plant such as roots, stems, leaves, flowers, and seeds either as
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