Endophytic Entomopathogenic Fungi Research Articles

Endophytic fungal entomopathogens with activity against plant pathogens: ecology and evolution

Dual biological control, of both insect pests and plant pathogens, has been reported for the fungal entomopathogens, Beauveria bassiana (Bals.-Criv.) Vuill. (Ascomycota: Hypocreales) and Lecanicillium spp. (Ascomycota: Hypocreales). However, the primary mechanisms of plant disease suppression are different for these fungi. Beauveria spp. produce an array of bioactive metabolites, and have been reported to limit growth of fungal plant pathogens in vitro. In plant assays, B. bassiana has been reported to reduce diseases caused by soilborne plant pathogens, such as Pythium, Rhizoctonia, and Fusarium. Evidence has accumulated that B. bassiana can endophytically colonize a wide array of plant species, both monocots and dicots. B. bassiana also induced systemic resistance when endophytically colonized cotton seedlings were challenged with a bacterial plant pathogen on foliage. Species of Lecanicillium are known to reduce disease caused by powdery mildew as well as various rust fungi. Endophytic colonization has been reported for Lecanicillium spp., and it has been suggested that induced systemic resistance may be active against powdery mildew. However, mycoparasitism is the primary mechanism employed by Lecanicillium spp. against plant pathogens. Comparisons of Beauveria and Lecanicillium are made with Trichoderma, a fungus used for biological control of plant pathogens and insects. For T. harzianum Rifai (Ascomycota: Hypocreales), it has been shown that some fungal traits that are important for insect pathogenicity are also involved in biocontrol of phytopathogens.

Endophytic microorganisms: a review on insect control and recent advances on tropical plants

In the past two decades, a great deal of information on the role of endophytic microorganisms in nature has been collected. The capability of colonizing internal host tissues has made endophytes valuable for agriculture as a tool to improve crop performance. In this review, we addressed the major topics concerning the control of insects-pests by endophytic microorganisms. Several examples of insect control are described, notably those involving the interactions between fungi and grazing grasses from temperate countries. The mechanisms by which endophytic fungi control insect attacks are listed and include toxin production as well as the influence of these compounds on plant and livestock and how their production may be affected by genetic and environmental conditions. The importance of endophytic entomopathogenic fungi for insect control is also addressed. As the literature has shown, there is a lack of information on endophytes from tropical hosts, which are more severely affected by pests and diseases. Having this in mind, we have included an updated and extensive literature in this review, concerning new findings from tropical plants, including the characterization of endophytic fungi and bacteria microbiota from several Amazon trees, citrus and medicinal plants among others.

Endophytic microorganisms: a review on insect control and recent advances on tropical plants

In the past two decades, a great deal of information on the role of endophytic microorganisms in nature has been collected. The capability of colonizing internal host tissues has made endophytes valuable for agriculture as a tool to improve crop performance. In this review, we addressed the major topics concerning the control of insects-pests by endophytic microorganisms. Several examples of insect control are described, notably those involving the interactions between fungi and grazing grasses from temperate countries. The mechanisms by which endophytic fungi control insect attacks are listed and include toxin production as well as the influence of these compounds on plant and livestock and how their production may be affected by genetic and environmental conditions. The importance of endophytic entomopathogenic fungi for insect control is also addressed. As the literature has shown, there is a lack of information on endophytes from tropical hosts, which are more severely affected by pests and diseases. Having this in mind, we have included an updated and extensive literature in this review, concerning new findings from tropical plants, including the characterization of endophytic fungi and bacteria microbiota from several Amazon trees, citrus and medicinal plants among others.