Fungi used as a Fungicide

From BIOL 2P96 Jan 2013 Group 07

Fungi have the ability to undergo autolysis when then environment they are growing in becomes depleted ^[1]. They are required to digest their own cell wall in order to reach the nutrient contained inside the hyphae. Thus, most if not all fungi are capable of synthesizing lytic enzyme such as chitinase and glucan-1,3-B-glucosidase ^[2] that will allow this destructive behavior to occurs. Mycofungicides are making use of this ability to destroy nuisible fungal pests using different strategies.

Contents 1 Processes (or mode of action??) 1.1 Necrotroph 1.2 Biotroph 2 Pesticide Preparation 3 Specific example 4 Notes and References

Processes (or mode of action??)

For a mycofungicide to be useful, the antagonistic fungi needs to be able to parasite an host. Mycoparasitism occurs widely in nature ^[3] and the two possible interactions that are in use for mycofungicides are the necrotroph and biotroph ones. The attack of a parasitic fungi on its host happens in four stages ^[2][4].

1. Chemotropism. The parasitic specie is attracted to its potential host by the detection and reaction to a chemical released by that host. As in many form of taxis, the parasite follows the increase in concentration, the gradient, as it gets closer to the host ^[4]. This gradient might be made of amino acids or sugar molecules^[4].
2. Recognition. The recognition procedures are triggered by different gene-regulated mechanisms^[1]. It is a short period that will determine if the parasite attach to the host, which will decide if the invasion happens or not. In Trichoderma spp. for example, the lectin carbohydrates are known to play a role in this critical stage of adhesion ^[4].
3. Attachment and coiling
4. The parasite starts to infect the host by degrading its cell wall components with different enzyme.

In the first stage,

Necrotroph

Biotroph

Pesticide Preparation

Specific example

Trichoderma harzianum

Mycoparasitic Trichoderma viride as a biocontrol agent against Fusarium oxysporum f. sp. adzuki and Pythium arrhenomanes and as a growth promoter of soybean, Rojan P. Johna R.D. Tyagia, D. Prévostb, Satinder K. Brara, Stéphan Pouleurb, R.Y. Surampallic

Pythium`oligandrum it is a water mould, but often they are studied as fungi and I have few reason why to put it in this cateroy

Gliocladium roseum

Notes and References

1. ↑ ^{1.0 1.1} Moore D., Robson G.D., Trinci A.P.J. (2011). 21st CENTURY GUIDE TO FUNGI. Cambridge University Press:New York.
2. ↑ ^{2.0 2.1} Boland, G. J., & Kuykendall, L. (1998). Plant-microbe interactions and biological control / edited by Greg J. Boland, L. David Kuykendall. New York : Marcel Dekker, c1998.
3. ↑ Jeffries P. (1995). BIOLOGY AND ECOLOGY OF MYCOPARASITISM. Canadian Journal of Botany. (73):S1284-S1290
4. ↑ ^{4.0 4.1 4.2 4.3} Steyaert J.M., Ridgway H.J., Elad Y., Stewart A.(2003). GENETIC BASIS OF MYCOPARASITISM: A MECHANISM OF BIOLOGICAL CONTROL BY SPECIES OF TRICHODERMA. New Zealand Journal of Crop and Horticultural Science. (31):281-291.