Biological control of Radopholus similis (Cobb) Thorne by combined inoculations of endophytic fungi
Keywords:
Biological inputs, Fusarium oxysporum, Paecilomyces sp, Trichoderma sp.Abstract
Plantain cultivation in Nicaragua is one of the most important sectors for the country’s development, as the crop is exported as fresh fruit to Central American countries such as Honduras, El Salvador, and Costa Rica. The present study evaluated the effect of endophytic strains of Fusarium oxysporum, Trichoderma spp., and the nematophagous fungus Purpureocillium lilacinum, isolated from functional banana roots, as a biological alternative for the management of Radopholus similis. A completely randomized design was established with 16 treatments and five replications, in which combined inoculations of endophytic fungi were applied to in vitro plants of the CEMSA ¾ cultivar under semi-controlled conditions. Seedling height (cm), pseudostem diameter (mm), leaf fresh weight (g), total Radopholus similis in 10 g of root tissue, and percentage of control were quantified. An arcsine transformation was applied to homogenize variance, followed by analysis of variance and Tukey’s mean separation test (P < 0.005). The inoculations of Trichoderma spp. + Fusarium oxysporum resulted in the lowest total number of Radopholus similis in root tissue. Regarding control percentage, a 15% reduction in the nematode population was achieved with the combined inoculations of Trichoderma spp. + Fusarium oxysporum. The inoculations of Purpureocillium lilacinum + Fusarium oxysporum promoted the greatest seedling height and pseudostem diameter. Combined inoculations of endophytic fungi represent an ecological solution compared to synthetic nematicides, enhancing agroecosystem resilience and microbiota.
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