Root Colonization by Fungal Entomopathogen Systemically Primes Belowground Plant Defense against Cabbage Root Fly.

ABSTRACT: Entomopathogenic fungi infect insects via spores but also live inside plant tissues as endophytes. Frequently, colonization by entomopathogens provides plants with increased resistance against insects, but the mechanisms are little understood. This study investigated direct, local, and systemic root-mediated interactions between isolates of the fungus Metarhizium brunneum and larvae of the cabbage root fly (CRF) Delia radicum attacking Brassica napus plants. All fungal isolates infected CRF when conidia were present in the soil, leading to 43-93% mortality. Locally, root-associated M. brunneum isolates reduced herbivore damage by 10-20% and in three out of five isolates caused significant insect mortality due to plant-mediated and/or direct effects. A split-root

SUBMITTER: Posada-Vergara C 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC9505207 | biostudies-literature | 2022 Sep

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature