Fungal biocontrol reduces the populations of the lesion nematode, Pratylenchus brachyurus, in soybean and corn

Abstract

Summary Pratylenchus brachyurus is considered one of the most important plant pathogens of soybean and corn in Brazil, mainly found in areas where no-tillage is practised. Nematophagous fungi are used as an alternative for chemical nematicides in the management of nematodes that affect these crops in Brazil. This study evaluated the fungi Pochonia chlamydosporia, Trichoderma sp. and Duddingtonia flagrans for the biocontrol of P. brachyurus in soybean and corn. The first and second experiments were carried out using soybean, and five isolates of P. chlamydosporia (Pc-3, Pc-4, Pc-10, Pc-35 and Pc-49), one of Trichoderma sp. (T-10), an isolate of D. flagrans (AC001) and a mix (MIX) of all the isolates. In the third experiment using corn, three isolates of P. chlamydosporia (Pc-3, Pc-10 and Pc-35) and one isolate of Trichoderma sp. (T-10) were compared. In the first experiment, the isolates Pc-3, Pc-10, Pc-35 and T-10 reduced the total population of P. brachyurus up to 43.7% when compared with the control treatment. In the second experiment, the isolates Pc-10, T-10 and the MIX reduced the total population of P. brachyurus up to 58.7% when compared with the control. In the third experiment, the isolates reduced the total population of P. brachyurus in corn when compared with the control treatment, except for D. flagrans, which was not able to control P. brachyurus in any experiment. The P. chlamydosporia (Pc-3, Pc-10, Pc-35) and Trichoderma sp. (T-10) isolates were shown to be promising for the control of P. brachyurus in soybean and corn.