Abstract
Neozygites floridana is a pathogenic fungus and natural enemy of the two-spotted spider mite, Tetranychus urticae (Acari: Tetranychidae), which is an important polyphagous plant pest. The aim of this study was to reveal and predict what combination of temperature, relative humidity (RH), and time that enables and promotes primary conidia production and capilliconidia formation in N. floridana (Brazilian isolate ESALQ 1420), in both a detached leaf assay mimicking climatic conditions in the leaf boundary layer and in a semi-field experiment. In the detached leaf assay, a significant number of conidia were produced at 90% RH but the highest total number of primary conidia and proportion of capilliconidia was found at 95 and 100% RH at 25 °C. Positive temperature and RH effects were observed and conidia production was highest in the 8 to 12 h interval. The semi-field experiment showed that for a >90% probability of N. floridana sporulation, a minimum of 6 h with RH >90% and 10 h with temperatures >21 °C, or 6 h with temperatures >21 °C and 15 h with RH >90% was needed. Our study identified suitable conditions for primary- and capilliconidia production in this Brazilian N. floridana isolate. This information provides an important base for building models of a Decision Support System (DSS) where this natural enemy may be used as a tool in Integrated Pest Management (IPM) and a base for developing in vivo production systems of N. floridana.
Highlights
The entomopathogenic fungal genus Neozygites belongs to the order Neozygitales in the classNeozygitomycetes in the phylum Entomophthoromycota [1]
At 13, 17, and 21 ◦ C the number of primary conidia and capilliconidia produced wasand significantly (F2,114 = 4.74, p = 0.0106) higher at ≥95% relative humidity (RH)
◦ C, no found that the Brazilian N. floridana isolate sporulated at 90% RH and that, at 25 °C, no difference in the the number number of primary conidia conidia and capilliconidia capilliconidia produced produced was was observed observed between between 95%
Summary
Neozygitomycetes in the phylum Entomophthoromycota [1] Fungi in this genus infect small arthropods such as mealybugs, aphids, thrips, and mites [2,3]. The use of Neozygites in inundative or inoculative biological control is challenging, as Neozygites species are biotrophic (obligate pathogens) and are difficult to produce on artificial media [13]. Environmental factors are known to regulate sporulation and germination of spores of entomopathogenic fungi within the Entomophthoromycota (e.g., [18]) and within the Neozygites (e.g., [19,20,21,22,23]). The minimum time-period required at these optimal abiotic conditions for sporulation, germination, and infection of the mite to occur is unknown
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