Xylotrechus arvicola (Coleoptera: Cerambycidae) is a grapevine (Vitis vinifera) pest in the Iberian Peninsula causing the spread of wood diseases. Trichoderma (Teleomorph: Hypocrea) is a fast growing opportunistic fungus, which produces antimicrobial compounds1. Moreover, it can be used as biological control of pests2. This study´s aim is to evaluate Trichodema spp. efficacy on controlling X. arvicola larvae, simulating field conditions. One millilitre of spore suspension (1 x 107esp/ml) of Trichoderma spp. was applied directly to vine with a manual diffuser. One hour after, four X. arvicola larvae were placed on the vine. Vines were opened 135 days later to count larvae and extract wood samples. Four samples per treatment from rhytidome and galleries per vine in four replicates were incubated on Petri dishes with Rose Bengal-Chloramphenicol Agar medium at controlled conditions during 7 days.
100% of T. gamsii (T-066) and T. gamsii (T-070) galleries isolates showed Trichoderma growth, confirming the ability of this fungus to move through the vine wood by the galleries created by X. arvicola larvae. T. gamsii (T-071) and T. harzianum (T-019) treatments showed the highest control over insect larvae with a 81.25% mortality. These results indicate Trichoderma should be considered for further studies to evaluate its efficacy to control X. arvicola on field conditions.
References:
[1] Mayo S, Gutiérrez S, Malmierca MG, Lorenzana A, Campelo MP, Hermosa R, Casquero PA. Influence of Rhizoctonia solani and Trichoderma spp. in growth of bean (Phaseolus vulgaris L.) and in the induction of plant defense-related genes. Front. Plant Sci 2015, 6, 685.
[2] Abdul-Wahid, OA, Elbanna, SM. Evaluation of the insecticidal activity of Fusarium solani and Trichoderma harzianum against cockroaches; Periplaneta americana. Afr. J. Microbiol. Res. 2012, 6(5): 1024–1032.