Fungal Plant Research Articles

Ancient Basidiomycota in an extinct conifer-like tree, Xenoxylon utahense, and a brief survey of fungi in the Upper Jurassic Morrison Formation, USA

AbstractAlthough the well-known Upper Jurassic Morrison Formation has yielded abundant fossil plants for nearly a century, relatively little is known about fossil fungi and their ecological relationships to the Morrison flora. The first mention of fungal decay in fossil wood was briefly made over three decades ago, and since then, a few more reports of fungal decay associated with Morrison plants have been published. However, up to now, detailed data on the fossil fungi themselves have not been given from the Morrison Formation. Here we describe in detail well-preserved fossil mycelia in a silicified log of Xenoxylon utahense Xie et Gee, 2021 from the Upper Jurassic Morrison Formation at Miners Draw, Blue Mountain, near Vernal in northeastern Utah, USA. The fungal hyphae are variable in form, ranging from straight to slightly curved to highly coiled to tubular; they measure ~1.53 μm in diameter and possess clamp connections, septa, and occasional bifurcations. The occurrence of clamp connections typical of living Basidiomycota indicates a taxonomic affinity to this division of fungi. On the basis of the patterns of wood decay in the Xenoxylon log, the fossil fungi are interpreted here as pertaining to saprotrophic, white-rot wood fungi. These fossil mycelia represent a new record of ancient Basidiomycota from the Upper Jurassic Morrison Formation and provide further evidence for plant–fungus interactions in Jurassic terrestrial ecosystems.

In situ treatment of real textile effluent in constructed furrows using consortium of Canna indica and Saccharomyces cerevisiae and subsequent biochemical and toxicity evaluation

Emerging contaminants removals like dyes and heavy metals from the textile effluent have an immense challenge. The present study focuses on the biotransformation and detoxification of dyes and in situ textile effluent treatment by plants and microbes efficiently. A mixed consortium of perennial herbaceous plant Canna indica and fungi Saccharomyces cerevisiae showed decolorization of di-azo dye Congo red (CR, 100 mg/L) up to 97% within 72 h. Root tissues and Saccharomyces cerevisiae cells revealed induction of various dye-degrading oxidoreductase enzymes such as lignin peroxidase, laccase, veratryl alcohol oxidase and azo reductase during CR decolorization. Chlorophyll a, Chlorophyll b and carotenoid pigments were notably elevated in the leaves of a plant during the treatment. Phytotransformation of CR into its metabolic constituents was detected by using several analytical techniques, including FTIR, HPLC, and GC-MS and its non-toxic nature was confirmed by cyto-toxicological evaluation on Allium cepa and on freshwater bivalves. Mix consortium of plant Canna indica and fungi Saccharomyces cerevisiae efficiently treated textile wastewater (500 L) and reduced ADMI, COD, BOD, TSS and TDS (74, 68, 68, 78, and 66%) within 96 h. In situ textile wastewater treatment for in furrows constructed and planted with Canna indica, Saccharomyces cerevisiae and consortium-CS within 4 days reveals reduced ADMI, COD, BOD, TDS and TSS (74, 73, 75, 78, and 77%). Comprehensive observations recommend this is an intelligent tactic to exploit this consortium in the furrows for textile wastewater treatment.

Biological Efficacy of Plant Growth–Promoting Bacteria and Arbuscular Mycorrhizae Fungi: Assessments in Laboratory and Greenhouse Conditions

Utilizing the interactions of microorganisms with plants offers a favorable path to increase crop production and replace the use of synthetic fertilizers. Different bacteria and fungi have been used as biofertilizers to improve agricultural production, yield, and sustainability. Beneficial microorganisms can act as free-living organisms, symbiotes, and endophytes. Soil bacteria called plant growth-promoting bacteria (PGPB) and fungi called arbuscular mycorrhizae fungi (AMF) stimulate the growth and health of plants by direct and indirect mechanisms including nitrogen fixation, phosphorus solubilization, phytohormone production, enzyme production, antibiotic synthesis, and induced systemic resistance. To use these microorganisms as a biofertilizer, it is necessary to assess their efficacy under laboratory and greenhouse conditions. Few reports detail the methods used to develop a test under different environmental conditions, and without these details it is difficult to develop suitable methodologies to evaluate microorganism-plant relationships. We describe four protocols that go from sample preparation to testing in vitro the efficacy of different biofertilizers. Each protocol can be used to test a different biofertilizer microorganism, focusing on bacteria such as Rhizobium sp., Azotobacter sp., Azospirillum sp., Bacillus sp. as well as AMF such as Glomus sp. These protocols can be used in several stages of biofertilizer development, including microorganism selection, microorganism characterization, and in vitro evaluation of efficacy for the registration process. © 2023 Wiley Periodicals LLC. Basic Protocol 1: Evaluating the biological effect of biofertilizer based on PGPB under laboratory conditions Basic Protocol 2: Evaluating the biological effect of biofertilizer based on PGPB under greenhouse conditions Basic Protocol 3: Evaluating the biological effect of biofertilizer based on symbiotic nitrogen-fixing bacteria Basic Protocol 4: Evaluating the biological effect of biofertilizer based on AMF.

Paramyrothecium nigrum, causing leaf blight disease on watermelon in Iran

<i>Paramyrothecium nigrum</i>, causing leaf blight disease on watermelon in Iran

Design, synthesis, antiviral and fungicidal activities of novel polycarpine simplified analogues

Fungal and viral diseases account for 70–80% of agricultural production losses caused by microbial diseases. Synthetic fungicides and antiviral agents have been used to treat plant diseases caused by plant pathogenic fungi and viruses, but their use has been criticized due to their adverse side effects. As alternative strategies, natural fungicides and antiviral agents have attracted many researchers’ interest in recent years. Herein, we designed and synthesized a series of novel polycarpine simplified analogues. Antiviral activity research against tobacco mosaic virus (TMV) revealed that most of the designed compounds have good antiviral activities. The virucidal activities of 4, 6d, 6f, 6h, and 8c are higher than that of polycarpine and similar to that of ningnanmycin. The structure simplified compound 8c was selected for further antiviral mechanism research which showed that compound 8c could inhibit the formation of 20S protein discs by acting on TMV coat protein. These compounds also displayed broad-spectrum fungicidal activities against 7 kinds of plant fungi. This work lays the foundation for the application of polycarpine simplified analogues in crop protection.

Discovery of Barakacin and Its Derivatives as Novel Antiviral and Fungicidal Agents

Pesticides are essential for the development of agriculture. It is urgent to develop green, safe and efficient pesticides. Bisindole alkaloids have unique and concise structures and broad biological activities, which make them an important leading skeleton in the creation of new pesticides. In this work, we synthesized bisindole alkaloid barakacin in a simple seven-step process, and simultaneously designed and synthesized a series of its derivatives. Biological activity research indicated that most of these compounds displayed good antiviral activities against tobacco mosaic virus (TMV). Among them, compound 14b exerted a superior inhibitory effect in comparison to commercially available antiviral agent ribavirin, and could be expected to become a novel antiviral candidate. Molecular biology experiments and molecular docking research found that the potential target of compound 14b was TMV coat protein (CP). These compounds also showed broad-spectrum anti-fungal activities against seven kinds of plant fungi.

Design, synthesis and biological activity of chalcone derivatives containing pyridazine

Inspired by the application of fungicide from natural products, a series of chalcone derivatives containing pyridazine were designed, synthesized, and evaluated for their antifungal activities against nine plant fungi and antibacterial activity against three plant bacteria. The antibacterial results revealed that B8 showed the best activity against Xanthomonas campestris pv. citri (Xac) with an EC50 value of 78.89 μg/mL, superior to Bismerthiazol (EC50 = 86.72 μg/mL). The antifungal bioactivity results showed that some of the compounds had good bioactivity against fungi, such as B4 showed the best bioactivity against Botrytis cinerea (BC) with an EC50 value of 8.91 μg/mL, which was better than the azoxystrobin (EC50 = 20.28 μg/mL). Compounds B4, D2 and D3 showed good biological activity against Rhizoctonia solani (RS), with an EC50 value of 18.10, 20.18 and 20.60 μg/mL, comparable to the azoxystrobin. Antifungal mechanism studies of BC by B4 suggest that B4 disrupts the cell membrane of the mycelium and thus inhibits the growth of the fungus. The above indicates that chalcone derivatives containing pyridazine have the potential to become fungicides.

Design, Synthesis, and Insecticidal and Fungicidal Activities of Ether/Oxime-ether Containing Isoxazoline Derivatives

The existing agricultural insecticides have developed drug resistance from long-term use. Isoxazoline derivatives are new insecticides discovered in the 21st century. Because of their unique insecticidal mechanism, high selectivity, safety, and no significant cross resistance with the existing pesticides on the market, they have become a hot spot in the field of pesticide research. Herein, a series of novel isoxazoline derivatives containing ether and oxime-ether structures were designed and synthesized by a scaffold-hopping strategy using the pesticide fluralaner as a template structure. Through the investigation of insecticidal activity and the systematic structure-activity relationship, a series of compounds with high insecticidal activities were found, and compounds I-4, II-9, and II-13 with LC50 values of 0.00008-0.00036 mg/L against diamondback moth emerged as novel insecticide candidates. These compounds also exhibited broad spectrum fungicidal activities against 14 plant fungi. The current work provides a reference for the design of new isoxazoline compounds based on the scaffold-hopping strategy.

Fungi in ant-plant interactions: a key to enhancing plant nutrient-acquisition strategies.

This article is a Commentary on Gegenbauer et al. (2023), 238: 2210–2223.

Comprehensive Identification of Reliable Reference Genes for qRT-PCR Normalization of Fusarium oxysporum-Resistant Genes’ Expressions in Lilium sargentiae Wilson

Fusarium wilt (caused by Fusarium oxysporum f. sp. Lilii) is one of the most damaging diseases in lily (Lilium sargentiae Wilson). Although some F. oxysporum-resistant lily varieties have been identified and are being utilized in resistant breeding, the regulation network of the resistance-associated mechanisms is yet to be studied due to the lack of reliable reference genes for qRT-PCR (quantitative reverse transcription PCR) normalization. The reliability of results by qRT-PCR relies mainly on the stability of the reference genes. This study investigated the reliability of nine candidate reference genes (CYP, EF1-α, GAPDH, TUB, UBQ, AQP, HIS, PGK, and RPL13) for qRT-PCR analysis of F. oxysporum-resistant genes. Expression stability analysis via common programs GeNorm, BestKeeper, and NormFinder, at different time points post-inoculation of F. oxysporum, revealed that all nine genes met the basic requirements of reference genes. Amongst them, HIS and GAPDH displayed the highest and the lowest expression stability, respectively. The reliability of HIS was further validated by analyzing the expression levels of four resistance-related candidate genes. The expression patterns of the four target genes were consistent with their responses to pathogenetic fungi in other plants. Our results show that HIS is the most suitable reference gene for accurately normalizing F. oxysporum-resistant genes’ expressions in L. sargentiae.

A systematic review on endophytic fungi and its role in the commercial applications.

EF have been explored for its beneficial impact on environment and for its commercial applications. It has proved its worth in these sectors and showed an impact on biological properties of plants by producing various bioactive molecules and enzymes. Endophytes are plant mutualists that live asymptomatically within plant tissues and exist in almost every plant species. Endophytic fungi benefit from the host plant nutrition, and the host plant gains improved competitive abilities and tolerance against pathogens, herbivores, and various abiotic stresses. Endophytic fungi are one of the most inventive classes which produce secondary metabolites and play a crucial role in human health and other biotic aspects. This review is focused on systematic study on the biodiversity of endophytic fungi in plants, and their role in enhancing various properties of plants such as antimicrobial, antimycobacterial, antioxidant, cytotoxic, anticancer, and biological activity of secondary metabolites produced by various fungal endophytes in host plants reported from 1994 to 2021. This review emphasizes the endophytic fungal population shaped by host genotype, environment, and endophytic fungi genotype affecting host plant. The impact of endophytic fungi has been discussed in detail which influences the commercial properties of plants. Endophytes also have an influence on plant productivity by increasing parameters such as nutrient recycling and phytostimulation. Studies focusing on mechanisms that regulate attenuation of secondary metabolite production in EF would provide much needed impetus on ensuring continued production of bioactive molecules from a indubitable source. If this knowledge is further extensively explored regarding fungal endophytes in plants for production of potential phytochemicals, then it will help in exploring a keen area of interest for pharmacognosy.

Potential of Endophytic Fungi as Plant Growth-Promoting Fungi (PGPF) Against Growth of Single Bud Set Seedlings on Sugarcane Plants (Saccharum officinarum L)

Increase of sugarcane productivity must be followed by improvements to a more environmentally sound cultivation system. One of them is the use of endophytes. Endophytic fungi are indeed included in the group of growth-promoting fungi or Plant Growth Promoting Fungi / PGPF and are known to secrete growth hormones such as Indole Acetic Acid (IAA), gibberellin so that they can spur growth. This study aims to determine the type of endophytic fungus that can potentially be PGPF in sugarcane breeding. The research uses sampling methods, exploration, and application of PGPF in sugarcane plants. The results of the identification of endophytic exploration fungi of sugarcane plants obtained five colonies consisting of 4 genera and four species from Trichoderma sp., Aspergillus sp., Penicillium sp., and Fusarium sp. From the results of the potency test, the results were obtained that the soaking of bud set seeds with isolates of the fungus Trichoderma sp., Penicillium sp. Noticeable effect on plant height, stem diameter, and the number of leaves.

Potential of Endophytic Fungi as Plant Growth-Promoting Fungi (PGPF) Against Growth of Single Bud Set Seedlings on Sugarcane Plants (Saccharum officinarum L)

Increase of sugarcane productivity must be followed by improvements to a more environmentally sound cultivation system. One of them is the use of endophytes. Endophytic fungi are indeed included in the group of growth-promoting fungi or Plant Growth Promoting Fungi / PGPF and are known to secrete growth hormones such as Indole Acetic Acid (IAA), gibberellin so that they can spur growth. This study aims to determine the type of endophytic fungus that can potentially be PGPF in sugarcane breeding. The research uses sampling methods, exploration, and application of PGPF in sugarcane plants. The results of the identification of endophytic exploration fungi of sugarcane plants obtained five colonies consisting of 4 genera and four species from Trichoderma sp., Aspergillus sp., Penicillium sp., and Fusarium sp. From the results of the potency test, the results were obtained that the soaking of bud set seeds with isolates of the fungus Trichoderma sp., Penicillium sp. Noticeable effect on plant height, stem diameter, and the number of leaves.

Mycorrhizal Symbiosis in Plant Growth and Stress Adaptation: From Genes to Ecosystems.

Plant roots associate with diverse microbes (including bacteria, fungi, archaea, protists, and viruses) collectively called the rhizosphere microbiome. Among them, mycorrhizal fungi colonize host roots and improve their access to nutrients, usually phosphorus and nitrogen. In exchange, plants deliver photosynthetic carbon to the colonizing fungi. This nutrient exchange affects key soil processes, the carbon cycle, and plant health and therefore has a strong influence on the plant and microbe ecosystems. The framework of nutrient exchange and regulation between host plant and arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi has recently been established. The local and systemic regulation of mycorrhizal symbiosis by plant nutrient status and the autoregulation of mycorrhizae are strategies by which plants maintain a stabilizing free-market symbiosis. A better understanding of the synergistic effects between mycorrhizal fungi and mycorrhizosphere microorganisms is an essential precondition for their use as biofertilizers and bioprotectors for sustainable agriculture and forestry management. Expected final online publication date for the Annual Review of Plant Biology, Volume 74 is May 2023. Please see http://www.annualreviews.org/page/journal/pubdates for revised estimates.

A parasitic fungus employs mutated eIF4A to survive on rocaglate-synthesizing Aglaia plants.

Plants often generate secondary metabolites as defense mechanisms against parasites. Although some fungi may potentially overcome the barrier presented by antimicrobial compounds, only a limited number of examples and molecular mechanisms of resistance have been reported. Here, we found an Aglaia plant-parasitizing fungus that overcomes the toxicity of rocaglates, which are translation inhibitors synthesized by the plant, through an amino acid substitution in a eukaryotic translation initiation factor (eIF). De novo transcriptome assembly revealed that the fungus belongs to the Ophiocordyceps genus and that its eIF4A, a molecular target of rocaglates, harbors an amino acid substitution critical for rocaglate binding. Ribosome profiling harnessing a cucumber-infecting fungus, Colletotrichum orbiculare, demonstrated that the translational inhibitory effects of rocaglates were largely attenuated by the mutation found in the Aglaia parasite. The engineered C. orbiculare showed a survival advantage on cucumber plants with rocaglates. Our study exemplifies a plant-fungus tug-of-war centered on secondary metabolites produced by host plants.

Multifarious Effects of Arsenic on Plants and Strategies for Mitigation

Arsenic contamination in soil and water is a major problem worldwide. Inorganic arsenic is widely present as arsenate and arsenite. Arsenic is transferred to crops through the soil and irrigation water. It is reported to reduce crop production in plants and can cause a wide array of diseases in humans, including different types of cancers, premature delivery, stillbirth, and spontaneous abortion. Arsenic methyltransferase (AS3MT) in the human body converts inorganic arsenic into monomethylarsonic acid and dimethylarsinic acid, which are later excreted from the body. Arsenic transfer from the soil to grains of rice involves different transporters such as Lsi1, Lsi2, and Lsi6. These transporters are also required for the transfer of silicate, which makes them important for the plant. Different mitigation strategies have been used to mitigate arsenic from crops, such as plant growth-promoting bacteria, fungi, and nanoparticles, as well as using different plant genotypes and plant extracts. Different factors such as nitric oxide, Fe, and jasmonate also affect the response of a plant to the oxidative stress caused by arsenic. This review highlights the various effects of arsenic on plants with respect to their biochemical, molecular, and physiological aspects and the employment of classical and innovative methods for their mitigation. The current review is expected to initiate further research to improve As remediation to mitigate the effect of heavy metal pollution on the environment.

Design, Synthesis and Antifungal Activity of Novel 1,4-Pentadiene-3-one Containing Quinazolinone.

Twenty 1,4-pentadiene-3-one derivatives containing quinazolinone (W1-W20) were designed and synthesized. The bioactivity test results showed that some compounds had antifungal activities in vitro. W12 showed excellent bioactivity against Sclerotinia sclerotiorum (S. sclerotiorum) and Phomopsis sp., with EC50 values of 0.70 and 3.84 μg/mL, which are higher than those of the control drug azoxystrobin at 8.15 and 17.25 μg/mL. In vivo activity tests were carried out on oilseed rape and kiwifruit. The protective effect of W12 on oilseed rape infected with S. sclerotiorum (91.7 and 87.3%) was better than that of azoxystrobin (90.2 and 79.8%) at 100 and 50 μg/mL, respectively, and the protective effect on kiwifruit infected with Phomopsis sp. (96.2%) was better than that of azoxystrobin (94.6%) at 200 μg/mL. Scanning electron microscopy results showed the hyphae of S. sclerotiorum treated with compound W12 abnormally collapsed and shriveled, inhibiting the growth of mycelium and, thus, laying the inhibiting effect on S. sclerotiorum. The results of the mechanism research showed that the action of W12 changed the mycelial morphology of S. sclerotiorum, affected the permeability of cells, increased the leakage of cytoplasm and allowed the cell membrane to break down. This study shows that 1,4-pentadiene-3-one derivatives containing quinazolinone have good effects on plant fungi and the potential for becoming new fungicides.

Comparison of network connectivity and environmental driving factors of root-associated fungal communities of desert ephemeral plants in two habitat soils

Root-associated microorganisms regulate plant growth and development, and their distribution is likely influenced by habitat conditions. In this study, the responses of rhizosphere and root-endophytic fungi of dominant ephemeral plants to aeolian soil (AS) and grey desert soil (DS) in the Gurbantünggüt Desert were analyzed using high-throughput sequencing. This was done to understand the adaptation strategies of this vegetation in typical habitat soils from a microbial perspective. We found that the diversity of root-associated fungi of ephemeral plants differed in the two habitat soils. The diversity of rhizosphere fungi was relatively low in AS compared to DS, whereas the diversity of root-endophytic fungi was higher in AS. The community structure of root-associated fungi and relative abundances of some dominant taxa differed between the two soils. A co-occurrence network showed that the degree of coupling and interaction between root-associated fungal taxa were closer in AS than in DS and that most of the fungal taxa were cooperative in the two habitat soils. Additionally, the network properties of the root-endophytic fungi were apparent different between the two soils. Environmental factors, including electrical conductivity, soil organic carbon, carbon/nitrogen, and carbon/phosphorus ratios, were found to be key factors affecting rhizosphere fungi in DS, whereas soil available phosphorus was the main factor in AS. Several factors affect the root-endophytic fungal community and are more influential in DS than in AS. Overall, the root-associated fungal communities of ephemeral plants had different adaptation strategies to the two soils: increasing the diversity of rhizosphere fungi and their relationship with environmental factors in DS, and increasing the diversity and network relationships of root-endophytic fungi in AS. These findings provide insight into the assemblage of ephemeral plant root-associated microbial communities and the underlying environmental factors, which allows for a deeper understanding of how to construct an artificial core root microbiota to promote plant growth and resistance.

Diversity, antibacterial and phytotoxic activities of culturable endophytic fungi from Pinellia pedatisecta and Pinellia ternata

BackgroundEndophytic fungi of medicinal plants, as special microorganisms, are important sources of antibacterial compounds. However, the diversity and antibacterial activity of endophytic fungi from Pinellia Tenore have not been systematically studied.ResultsA total of 77 fungi were isolated from roots, stems, leaves, and tubers of Pinellia ternata and P. pedatisecta. All fungi were belonged to five classes and twenty-five different genera. Biological activities tests indicated that 21 extracts of endophytic fungi exhibited antibacterial activities against at least one of the tested bacteria, and 22 fermentation broth of endophytic fungi showed strong phytotoxic activity against Echinochloa crusgalli with the inhibition rate of 100%. Furthermore, four compounds, including alternariol monomethyl ether (1), alternariol (2), dehydroaltenusin (3) and altertoxin II (4), and three compounds, including terreic acid (5), terremutin (6), citrinin (7), were isolated from Alternaria angustiovoidea PT09 of P. ternata and Aspergillus floccosus PP39 of P. pedatisecta, respectively. Compound 5 exhibited strong antibacterial activities against Escherichia coli, Micrococcus tetragenus, Staphylococcus aureus, and Pseudomonas syringae pv. actinidiae with the inhibition zone diameter (IZD) of 36.0, 31.0, 33.7, 40.2 mm and minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) values of 1.56, 3.13, 1.56, 1.56 μg/mL respectively, which were better than or equal to those of positive gentamicin sulfate. The metabolite 7 also exhibited strong antibacterial activity against P. syringae pv. actinidiae with the IZD of 26.0 mm and MIC value of 6.25 μg/mL. In addition, the compound 7 had potent phytotoxic activity against E. crusgalli with the inhibition rate of 73.4% at the concentration of 100 μg/mL.ConclusionsHence, this study showed that endophytic fungi of P. ternata and P. pedatisecta held promise for the development of new antibiotic and herbicide resources.

Negative effects on the development of Chrysodeixis includens and Spodoptera cosmioides fed by peanut plants inoculated with entomopathogenic fungi.

Recent studies have shown that entomopathogenic fungi, as endophytes, can have beneficial effects on plants, protecting them from defoliating insects. The potential of endophytic association by entomopathogenic fungi with the peanut crop has been little explored. In our study, we conducted experiments by inoculation of peanut seeds through a soil drench method with nine strains/species of entomopathogenic fungi of the genera Metarhizium, Beauveria and Cordyceps, subsequently these plants were consumed by two larval pests, Chrysodeixis includens and Spodoptera cosmioides. The parameters of larval growth rates, mortality, foliar consumption and larval period were observed during the development of larvae. In addition, the endophytic capacity of these fungi in peanut plants and their persistence in soil were investigated. In two replicate greenhouse trials for each larva, peanut plants were inoculated with fungi by the soil-drench method. We evaluated the performance of C. includens and S. cosmioides feeding on inoculated peanut plants starting at the 2nd larval instar. The larval and pupal weights of C. includens and S. cosmioides were significantly different among the fungal treatment groups, where insects feeding on control plants exhibited higher larval and pupal weights than insects feeding on treated plants. The differences in larval period showed that Control larvae pupated faster than the larvae fed on fungal-inoculated plants, fungal treatments had a larval period of 3 to 5 days more than the control. The mortality rates of C. includens and S. cosmioides were significantly different among the fungal treatment groups, insects fed on Control plants exhibited higher survival than insects fed on fungal-inoculated plants. The persistence of all Metarhizium fungi was higher in the soil compared to other fungi, and only Metarhizium and B. bassiana IBCB215 emerged from the phyllosphere of peanut plants. Although the fungus Cordyceps presented the worst performance among the fungal treatments. Overall, our results demonstrate the negative effects on the development of C. includens and S. cosmioides that were fed on fungal-inoculated peanut plants, the best results recorded were for Metarhizium strains and the fungus B. bassiana IBCB215.