Nematode hosts of the fungus Hirsutella minnesotensis

• Author(s): Chen, S.; Liu, S.;
• Abstract: Hirsutella minnesotensis was first isolated from the second-stage juveniles of Heterodera glycines. The objective of this study was to determine whether the fungus can parasitize various nematodes. Four isolates (WA23-1, FA2-1, MA13-1 and Hm134) of the fungus were tested on 15 nematode species including plant-parasitic nematodes: Belonolaimus sp., Criconemella sp., Heterodera glycines, Hoplolaimus sp., Meloidogyne arenaria, Meloidogyne hapla, Meloidogyne incognita, Meloidogyne javanica, Rotylenchulus reniformis and Scutellonema sp.; entomophilic neamtodes: Steinernema glaseri and Heterorhabditis bacteriophora; and fungal-feeding nematodes: Aphelenchus sp. and Aphelenchoides sp. The nematodes were exposed to the fungal cultures on corn meal agar for 3, 7, and 14 days. Percentages of nematodes with attached spore(s) or filled with mycelium were recorded. When mycelium development in nematode body was observed, the nematode was considered parasitized. Parasitism by the fungus was observed at day 3 for all of the nematodes. The results showed that the host range of H. minnesotensis is very wide.
• Publication Date: Jun 2001
• Journal: Phytopathology