Abstract
Biological control using plant-beneficial fungi has gained considerable interest as a sustainable method for pest management, by priming the plant for enhanced defense against pathogens and insect herbivores. However, despite promising outcomes, little is known about how different fungal strains mediate these beneficial effects. In this study, we evaluated whether inoculation of tomato seeds with the plant-beneficial fungi Beauveria bassiana ARSEF 3097, Metarhizium brunneum ARSEF 1095 and Trichoderma harzianum T22 affected the plant’s volatile organic compound (VOC) profile and the host-choice behavior of Nesidiocoris tenuis , an emerging pest species in NW-European tomato cultivation, and the related zoophytophagous biocontrol agent Macrolophus pygmaeus . Results indicated that fungal inoculation did not significantly alter the VOC composition of tomato plants. However, in a two-choice cage assay where female insects were given the option to select between control plants and fungus-inoculated plants, N. tenuis preferred control plants over M. brunneum -inoculated plants. Nearly 72% of all N. tenuis individuals tested chose the control treatment. In all other combinations tested, no significant differences were found for none of the insects. We conclude that inoculation of tomato with plant-beneficial fungi had limited effects on plant volatile composition and host-choice behavior of insects. However, the observation that N. tenuis was deterred from the crop when inoculated with M. brunneum and attracted to non-inoculated plants may provide new opportunities for future biocontrol based on a push-pull strategy.
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Claims 4
Claim · model-written summary
Fungal inoculation did not significantly alter tomato volatile composition.
- Taxon
- tomato
Solanum lycopersicume0 - Treatment
- fungal inoculatione0
- Outcome
- VOC compositione0
- Direction
- did not significantly altere0
Not reportedComparator
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“fungal inoculation did not significantly alter the VOC composition of tomato plants”
e1“Beauveria bassiana ARSEF 3097, Metarhizium brunneum ARSEF 1095 and Trichoderma harzianum T22”
Claim · model-written summary
Nesidiocoris tenuis preferred controls over Metarhizium-inoculated tomato plants.
- Taxon
- tomatoSolanum lycopersicume2
- Treatment
- M. brunneum -inoculated plantse0
- Interactor
- N. tenuis
Nesidiocoris tenuise0pest - Second interactor
- M. brunneumMetarhizium brunneume0symbiont
- Outcome
- preferred control plantse0
- Direction
- preferrede0
- Value
- 72%e1
- Comparator
- control plantse0
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“N. tenuis preferred control plants over M. brunneum -inoculated plants”
e1“Nearly 72% of all N. tenuis individuals tested chose the control treatment”
e2“tomato seeds with the plant-beneficial fungi Beauveria bassiana ARSEF 3097, Metarhizium brunneum ARSEF 1095 and Trichoderma harzianum T22”
Claim · model-written summary
Other fungus and insect combinations showed no significant host-choice differences.
- Taxon
- tomatoSolanum lycopersicume1
- Treatment
- all other combinations testede0
- Outcome
- differencese0
- Direction
- no significant differencese0
Not reportedComparator
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“In all other combinations tested, no significant differences were found for none of the insects”
e1“tomato seeds with the plant-beneficial fungi”
Claim · model-written summary
Authors propose Metarhizium inoculation for a potential push-pull biocontrol strategy.
- Taxon
- tomatoSolanum lycopersicume1
- Interactor
- N. tenuisNesidiocoris tenuise0pest
- Second interactor
- M. brunneumMetarhizium brunneume0symbiont
- Outcome
- future biocontrol based on a push-pull strategye0
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“N. tenuis was deterred from the crop when inoculated with M. brunneum and attracted to non-inoculated plants may provide new opportunities for future biocontrol based on a push-pull strategy”
e1“tomato with plant-beneficial fungi”
The same questions in other papers
inoculation · quality: general · Solanum lycopersicum (tomato)Positive and negative results
4 papers in the same direction as this paper · 16 in the opposite direction
- positive
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See all 21 papers →Claims are grouped by organism, treatment and what was measured or targeted. A paper counts as positive when any of its claims in the group is positive.