Tripartite interactions of an endophytic entomopathogenic fungus, Asian corn borer, and host maize under elevated carbon dioxide

Li Sui; Hui Zhu; Deli Wang; Zhengkun Zhang; Michael J Bidochka; Larissa Barelli; Yang Lu; Qiyun Li

doi:10.1002/ps.8163

Tripartite interactions of an endophytic entomopathogenic fungus, Asian corn borer, and host maize under elevated carbon dioxide

Pest Manag Sci. 2024 May 13. doi: 10.1002/ps.8163. Online ahead of print.

Authors

Li Sui^{1

2}, Hui Zhu², Deli Wang², Zhengkun Zhang¹, Michael J Bidochka³, Larissa Barelli³, Yang Lu¹, Qiyun Li⁴

Affiliations

¹ Institute of Plant Protection, Jilin Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Jilin Key Laboratory of Agricultural Microbiology, Key Laboratory of Integrated Pest Management on Crops in Northeast China, Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, Jilin, China.
² School of Life Sciences, Key Laboratory of Vegetation Ecology of the Ministry of Education, Jilin Songnen Grassland Ecosystem National Observation and Research Station, Northeast Normal University, Changchun, China.
³ Department of Biological Sciences, Brock University, St Catharines, ON, Canada.
⁴ College of Agriculture, Jilin Agricultural Science and Technology University, Jilin, China.

PMID: 38738508
DOI: 10.1002/ps.8163

Abstract

Background: Biological control of insect pests is encountering an unprecedented challenge in agricultural systems due to the ongoing rise in carbon dioxide (CO₂) level. The use of entomopathogenic fungi (EPF) in these systems is gaining increased attention, and EPF as crop endophytes hold the potential for combining insect pest control and yield enhancement of crops, but the effects of increased CO₂ concentration on this interaction are poorly understood. Here, the introduction of endophytic EPF was explored as an alternative sustainable management strategy benefiting crops under elevated CO₂, using maize (Zea mays), Asian corn borer (Ostrinia furnacalis), and EPF (Beauveria bassiana) to test changes in damage to maize plants from O. furnacalis, and the nutritional status (content of carbon, nitrogen, phosphorus, potassium), biomass, and yield of maize.

Results: The results showed that endophytic B. bassiana could alleviate the damage caused by O. furnacalis larvae for maize plants under ambient CO₂ concentration, and this effect was enhanced under higher CO₂ concentration. Inoculation with B. bassiana effectively counteracted the adverse impact of elevated CO₂ on maize plants by preserving the nitrogen content at its baseline level (comparable with ambient CO₂ conditions without B. bassiana). Both simultaneous effects could explain the improvement of biomass and yield of maize under B. bassiana inoculation and elevated CO₂.

Conclusion: This finding provides key information about the multifaceted benefits of B. bassiana as a maize endophyte. Our results highlight the promising potential of incorporating EPF as endophytes into integrated pest management strategies, particularly under elevated CO₂ concentrations. © 2024 The Authors. Pest Management Science published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd on behalf of Society of Chemical Industry.

Keywords: Beauveria bassiana; Ostrinia furnacalis; crop yield; damage of insect pests; elevated CO2 concentration; plant nutrition; tripartite interactions.

Abstract

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