To replace biohazardous nematicides, there is an ever-increasing need to identify natural product-based agents to contain root-knot nematodes (RKNs) in agriculture. In this chemical ecology study, an antagonistic fungus Aspergillus fumigatus 1T-2, which could cause the formation of withering of the gut and vacuole-like structures in the nematode body, was isolated based on the gradually increased antagonistic interactions between the soil fungi and RKNs. Based on these typical morphological characteristics, a potent nematode-antagonistic compound 2-furoic acid, which had a simple structure, was successfully identified from 1T-2 fermentation broth by liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry (LC-MS). 2-Furoic acid showed effective mortality activity in vitro, of which the LC50 value to Megalaima incognita at 24 h was 37.75 μg/mL. 2-Furoic acid had similar mortality activity to the positive control fosthiazate at 30 μg/mL. Continuous 2-furoic acid exposure had obvious negative influences on both nematode vitality and egg hatchability. Notably, significant variations were observed in nematodes and eggs with 2-furoic acid treatment, which might be induced by novel nematocidal mechanisms. Furthermore, the 1T-2 fermentation broth and 2-furoic acid had significant control efficacy on M. incognita under the greenhouse test-tube assay. Overall, these findings provide valuable insights into the use of 2-furoic acid with biocontrol potential as a preferable lead structure for the development of innovative nematicides.
Keywords: 2-furoic acid; Aspergillus fumigatus 1T-2; Meloidogyne incognita; biocontrol; chemical ecology.