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Applied and Environmental Microbiology, November 1998, p. 4260-4263, Vol. 64, No. 11
Mikrobiologisches Institut,
Eidgenössische Technische Hochschule, CH-8092 Zürich,
Switzerland
Received 26 May 1998/Accepted 24 August 1998
Erynia neoaphidis is an important fungal pathogen of
aphid pests worldwide. There have been few reported attempts to
formulate this natural agent for use in biocontrol. In the current
study, factors involved in the immobilization of E. neoaphidis hyphae in an alginate matrix were investigated. Hyphae
of two isolates cultured in liquid medium were 220 to 620 µm in
length and 7 to 19 µm in diameter with a 74 to 83% cytoplasmic
content. The optimal concentration of low-viscosity sodium alginate for
production of conidia from entrapped hyphae was 1.5% (wt/vol), and 0.1 and 0.25 M calcium chloride were equally suitable for use as the
gelling solution. Alginate beads were rinsed with 10% sucrose after
gelling. However, beads should not be left for longer than 40 min in
0.1 M calcium chloride or 10% sucrose to prevent a 10% loss in
conidial production. A 40% (vol/vol) concentration of fungal biomass
produced significantly more conidia than either 20% or the standard
concentration of 10%. This effect persisted even after beads were
dried overnight in a laminar flow hood and stored at 4°C for 4 days.
Conidia from freshly produced alginate beads caused 27 to 32%
infection in Pea aphids as determined by standardized laboratory
bioassays. This finding was not significantly different from infections
in aphids inoculated with fresh mycelial mats or plugs from Petri dish
cultures. In conclusion, algination appears to be a promising technique
for utilizing E. neoaphidis in the biocontrol of aphid pests.
0099-2240/98/$04.00+0
Copyright © 1998, American Society for Microbiology. All rights reserved.
Method To Immobilize the Aphid-Pathogenic
Fungus Erynia neoaphidis in an Alginate Matrix for
Biocontrol
*
Corresponding author. Mailing address:
Mikrobiologisches Institut, Eidgenössische Technische Hochschule,
Schmelzbergstr. 7, CH-8092 Zürich, Switzerland. Phone: (41)
1-632-4437. Fax: (41) 1-632-1148. E-mail:
shah{at}micro.biol.ethz.ch.
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