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. 2020 Dec 6;6(4):342.
doi: 10.3390/jof6040342.

Low Efficacy of Isaria fumosorosea against Box Tree Moth Cydalima perspectalis: Are Host Plant Phytochemicals Involved in Herbivore Defence against Fungal Pathogens?

Rostislav Zemek  1   2   3 , Jana Konopická  3   4 , Zain Ul Abdin  1   2   5
Affiliations

Low Efficacy of Isaria fumosorosea against Box Tree Moth Cydalima perspectalis: Are Host Plant Phytochemicals Involved in Herbivore Defence against Fungal Pathogens?

Rostislav Zemek et al. J Fungi (Basel). .

Abstract

Buxus sp. is an important native and ornamental tree in Europe threatened by a serious invasive pest Cydalima perspectalis. The larvae of this moth are able to defoliate box trees and cause their death. The development of novel biopesticides targeting this pest might help protect Buxus trees grown wildly or in city parks. Laboratory experiments were conducted to assess the efficacy of entomopathogenic fungus Isaria fumosorosea strain CCM 8367 against C. perspectalis. The last-instar larvae of the box tree moth were treated by the suspension of fungus conidia at concentrations ranging from 1 × 104 to 1 × 108 spores per 1 mL. Fungus infection was observed mostly in pupae, but the maximum mortality did not exceed 60%, indicating a very low susceptibility of C. perspectalis to I. fumosorosea. Furthermore, a number of ungerminated fungal conidia were found on larval cuticles using a low-temperature scanning electron microscopy. Our data also reveal that the hydroalcoholic extract from B. sempervirens leaves significantly inhibits both the germination of I. fumosorosea conidia and fungus growth. It can be speculated that the strain CCM 8367 of I. fumosorosea is not a potent biocontrol agent against C. perspectalis and low virulence of the fungus might be due to the accumulation of host plant phytochemicals having antimicrobial activity in larval cuticle of the pest.

Keywords: Buxus; alkaloids; antimicrobial activity; entomopathogenic fungi; invasive pests; virulence.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare no conflict of interest. The funders had no role in the design of the study; in the collection, analyses, or interpretation of data; in the writing of the manuscript, or in the decision to publish the results.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
(a) Early mycosis of Isaria fumosorosea on Cydalima perspectalis pupa; (b) Cadaver of C. perspectalis covered with sporulating fungus.
Figure 2
Figure 2
(a,b) Malformed adults of Cydalima perspectalis emerged in a group of larvae treated by Isaria fumosorosea at a concentration 1 × 108 conidia/mL.
Figure 3
Figure 3
(a) Mean cumulative mortality (±SE) of Cydalima perspectalis (including mortality of malformed adults) treated with various concentrations of Isaria fumosorosea conidia. A generalized linear model was fitted and pairwise between treatment differences were tested using the least-square means. Different letters indicate significant differences between columns (p < 0.05); (b) Log-probit regression line of concentration-mortality response of C. perspectalis to I. fumosorosea.
Figure 4
Figure 4
Low-temperature scanning electron microscope (LT-SEM) image of Isaria fumosorosea conidia on the cuticle of Cydalima perspectalis larva. (a,b) Conidia immediately after the fungus application; (c) Conidium with germ tube after 24-h incubation; (d) Ungerminated conidium after 24-h incubation; (e) Group of ungerminated conidia after 24-h incubation; (f) Ungerminated conidia after 48-h incubation.
Figure 5
Figure 5
Germination of Isaria fumosorosea conidia on: (a) a control agar plate treated with solvent only; (b) agar plate treated with Buxus sempervirens extract. Arrows indicate spores with no or little germination peg. Traces of plant extract are visible on the agar surface.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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