Affiliation:
1. Department of Agricultural Biotechnology, Faculty of Agriculture Isparta University of Applied Sciences Isparta Turkey
2. Department of Plant Health Batı Akdeniz Agricultural Research Institute Antalya Turkey
3. Department of Agricultural Biotechnology, Faculty of Agriculture Aydın Adnan Menderes University Aydın Turkey
Abstract
AbstractRoot‐knot nematodes, particularly, Meloidogyne incognita, are among the most destructive endoparasitic nematodes, infecting a diverse range of plant hosts. Nematode‐trapping fungi are known for their potential application as biological control agents against plant parasitic nematodes. In the present study, the nematode‐trapping fungus Arthrobotrys thaumasia was isolated from the rhizosphere soil of tomato plants in the West Mediterranean Region of Türkiye. Two hundred and twenty‐three tomato plant rhizosphere soil samples yielded six nematode‐trapping fungal isolates, giving an occurrence frequency of 2.69%. Using morphology and molecular marker sequences (ITS and β‐tubulin loci), the species of the fungi was confirmed to be A. thaumasia. In vitro, A. thaumasia reduced second‐stage juveniles of M. incognita by 77.5% (isolate I‐Y4‐2) and 72.5% (isolate B‐G5‐1). This is the first report on the isolation and characterization of the nematode‐trapping fungus A. thaumasia from Türkiye. Two isolates of A. thaumasia (I‐Y4‐2 and B‐G5‐1) appear to be promising biological control agents that may be utilized for controlling M. incognita‐caused root‐knot diseases.