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Effects of the fungus Lecanicillium lecanii on survival and reproduction of the aphid Schizaphis graminum

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Abstract

This study investigated the effects of a strain of the fungus Lecanicillium lecanii (Zimm.) Zare and Gams (Hypocreales: Ascomycota) on the aphid Schizaphis graminum (Rondani) (Hemiptera: Aphididae). The fungus was administered to fourth instar nymphs and to alate and apterous adult morphs as a ground rice-kernel formulation. This study showed that L. lecanii formulation affected the survival of the aphids and interacted differently with the studied morphs, the Lethal Time values being lower for alate compared to apterous morphs and nymphs. The treatment also caused a significant reduction in the fecundity of the three treated aphid groups. Histological analysis revealed that the hyphae invaded the host hemocoel of a limited number of alate and apterous morphs: the fungus only entered through the spiracles. Scanning Electron Microscope observations revealed that L. lecanii adhered to the body surface of both adults and nymphs without differentiation. In conclusion, the present study suggests that this strain might be a good candidate for a programme of biological control of S. graminum and other aphid species.

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Acknowledgments

We thank Monica Santamaria, Istituto di Tecnologie Biomediche, CNR, Bari, Italy and Bachir Balech, International Center for Advanced Mediterranean Agronomic Studies (IAM.B), Valenzano - (Bari), Italy, for designing and providing the COX1 primers developed in the behalf of the thesis of Bachir Balech “An integrated molecular and morphological study to design a barcode discrimination protocol for Fusarium species involved in dry root disease of Citrus” for the Master of Science in “Integrated Pest Management of Mediterranean Fruit Tree Crops” supported by the Italian Minister of Foreign Affairs. We thank Vincenzo Ricci for its valuable technical assistance. We thank the “Centro Interdipartimentale Grandi Strumenti” of the University of Modena and Reggio Emilia for the availability of the Philips XL-30 Scanning Electron Microscope.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Dipartimento di Biologia Animale, Università di Modena e Reggio Emilia, 41125, Modena, Italy

    Sonia Ganassi, Pasqualina Grazioso & Maria Agnese Sabatini

  2. Istituto Scienze delle Produzioni Alimentari (ISPA), CNR, 70125, Bari, Italy

    Antonio Moretti

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  1. Sonia Ganassi
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  2. Pasqualina Grazioso
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  4. Maria Agnese Sabatini
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Correspondence to Maria Agnese Sabatini.

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Ganassi, S., Grazioso, P., Moretti, A. et al. Effects of the fungus Lecanicillium lecanii on survival and reproduction of the aphid Schizaphis graminum . BioControl 55, 299–312 (2010). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10526-009-9250-9

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