Abstract

Verticillium lecanii is a potentially useful biological control agent (BCA) for soybean cyst nematode (SCN), Heterodera glycines. The objective of this study was to screen hybrid strains of V. lecanii, derived from protoplast fusion, for effective control agents of SCN, and to investigate whether the protoplast fusion technique is an effective tool for development of nematode control agents. Three parental strains (Vertalec®, Mycotal®, and B-2) and their 162 hybrid strains were screened in greenhouse pot tests. Some of these hybrid strains suppressed damage on soybean plants and reduced the density of SCN in the soil. In particular, one hybrid strain, AaF42, was observed to reduce the nematode egg density by 93.2% as compared with the control. Furthermore, this strain significantly reduced the cyst and egg density as compared with the parental strains. In conclusion, some of the hybrid strains exhibited enhanced biocontrol efficacy by protoplast fusion. Therefore, the protoplast fusion technique may be a potentially valuable tool for developing nematode-antagonistic fungi as BCA.

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