Biological Pests Management for Sustainable Agriculture: Understanding the Influence of Cladosporium-Bioformulated Endophytic Fungi Application to Control Myzus persicae (Sulzer, 1776) in Potato (Solanum tuberosum L.)

The potato is a staple food crop worldwide and the need for this product has increased due to the burgeoning population. However, potato production is highly constrained by biotic stress interference, such as Myzus persicae Sulzer, which causes serious yield losses and thus minimizing production income. The current study aims to investigate the effect of different formulations prepared as an invert emulsion with different concentrations of fungal culture filtrates derived from three endophytic fungi (genus Cladosporium) against Myzus persicae. All formulations have demonstrated an aphicidal activity, which increases with the increasing concentration of fungal filtrates. Furthermore, it has been noted that chitinolytic activity recorded for 12 days is important in Cladosporium sp. BEL21 isolated from dwarf mistletoe Arceuthobium oxycedri. The study of demographic and embryonic parameters of aphids settled on potato plants previously treated with formulations revealed a significant reduction in the numbers of colonizing aphids and a relative increase in the numbers of winged adults, especially in plants treated with BEL21-derived emulsion. The pre-treatment of plants may interfere with and negatively influence embryonic development and early maturity of the embryo and thus affect the fertility of parthenogenetic aphids. BEL21-derived emulsion can ensure effective and an inexpensive control of M. persicae for potato spring cropping systems. The current results open real opportunities concerning the implementation of ecofriendly and potent potato protection systems.