ARS | Publication request: NATURAL OCCURRENCE OF ENTOMOPATHOGENIC FUNGI (ZYGOMYCETES: ENTOMOPHTHORALES) OF APHID (HEMIPTERA: APHIDIDAE) PESTS OF HORTICULTURAL CROPS IN ARGENTINA

Submitted to: Biocontrol
Publication Type: Peer Reviewed Journal
Publication Acceptance Date: August 25, 2006
Publication Date: August 22, 2007
Citation: Scorsetti, A.C., Humber, R.A., Garcia, J.J., Lopez Lastra, C.C. 2007. Natural occurrence of entomopathogenic fungi (zygomycetes: entomophthorales) of aphid (hemiptera: aphididae) pests of horticultural crops in argentina. Biocontrol. 52(5):641-655.

Interpretive Summary: This paper reports the results of three years of surveys for entomophthoralean fungal pathogens affecting aphid pests in a wide range of agricultural crops in Argentina, where the affected aphids are economically significant pests. Entomophthoralean fungi were the preferred group of pathogens being studied because these are among the most common and most effective pathogens affecting aphids worldwide. Nine different aphid species were found to have been affected on multiple crop plants in Buenos Aires Province by six different species of fungal species. Several of these fungi were first records of their species for either Argentina or for South America. This study provides a basis to guide future efforts at the possible use of these fungi as practical biocontrol agents against these aphid pests.

Technical Abstract: A three-year survey of entomophthoralean pathogenic fungi of aphids from horticultural crops in La Plata, Argentina, was conducted. Nine species of aphids, including Aphis fabae Scopoli, Aphis gossypii Glover, Brevicoryne brassicae (L.), Lipaphis erysimi (Kaltenbach), Macrosiphum euphorbiae (Thomas), Myzus sp., Myzus persicae (Sulzer), Nasonovia ribisnigri (Mosley) and Capitophorus elaeagni (del Guercio) were recorded as host of entomopathogenic fungi. Six species of Entomophthorales that infected and killed aphids were found in vegetable crops. The fungal species identified were Conidiobolus obscurus (Hall & Dunn) Remaudiere & Keller, Entomophthora planchoniana Cornu, Neozygites fresenii (Nowakowski) Remaudiere & Keller, Pandora neoaphidis (Remaudiere & Hennebert) Humber, Zoophthora radicans (Brefeld) Batko and Zoophthora sp. Pandora neoaphidis was the most predominant pathogen of aphids and was found throughout the summer (December--March) 2004. The recovery of C. obscurus, N. fresenii and P. neoaphidis represent first records for Argentina and for South America.