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Research article2007Peer reviewed

Food attraction and population growth of fungivorous nematodes with different fungi

Hasna MK, Insunza V, Lagerlof J, Ramert B

Abstract

Food attraction of the fungivorous nematodes Aphelenchus avenae and Aphelenchoides spp. to seven fungal species (Pyrenochaeta lycopersici, Botrytis cinerea, Rhizoctonia solani strains AG 3 and AG 2-1, Verticillium dahliae, Pochonia bulbillosa, Mortierella hyalina and Trichoderma harzianum) was determined on agar plates by counting the number of test nematodes present on the mycelium of each fungus 24 h after inoculation. Population growth of A. avenae and Aphelenchoides spp. on five of the seven fungi included in the attraction test (P. lycopersici, R. solani strain AG 3, V. dahliae, P. bulbillosa and T. harzianum) was also determined on agar plates by counting nematode numbers every week during a 6-week period. A. avenae and Aphelenchoides spp. were attracted to all the fungi tested. A. avenae was preferentially attracted to V. dahliae (P < 0.0001), and Aphelenchoides spp. did not show any preference except for low attraction to R. solani. A. avenae and Aphelenchoides spp. reproduced on all fungal species tested. After 6 weeks of incubation, the highest number of nematodes was found on P. lycopersici and P. bulbillosa, while the lowest number occurred on R. solani for A. avenae and on T. harzianum for Aphelenchoides spp. The suitability of a fungus as a host was not clearly related to the attraction to that fungus

Published in

Annals of Applied Biology
2007, Volume: 151, number: 2, pages: 175-182
Publisher: BLACKWELL PUBLISHING

      SLU Authors

      • Lagerlöf, Jan

        • Department of Entomology, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences

        • UKÄ Subject classification

        Horticulture
        Environmental Sciences related to Agriculture and Land-use
        Agricultural Science

        Publication identifier

        DOI: https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1744-7348.2007.00163.x

        Permanent link to this page (URI)

        https://res.slu.se/id/publ/15517