NEMATODE-DESTROYING FUNGI: INFECTION STRUCTURES, INTERACTION MECHANISMS AND BIOCONTROL

Authors : Mehmet KARAKAŞ

Pages : 176-201

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Publication Date : 2020-06-30

Article Type : Review Paper

Abstract :Fungi are pathogenic for different nematode groups, but their relationship with soil nematodes goes a grade beyond parasitism and into predation. Approximately, 200 species of taxonomically various fungi can attack active nematodes, which are effective animals nearly 0.1 to 1.0 mm long. Among these nematode-destroying fungi, only a few species are obligate parasites of nematodes; the majority are facultative saprotrophs. Nematode-destroying fungi have four general groups: insert ignore into journalissuearticles values(a); fungi with specialized structures insert ignore into journalissuearticles values(b); fungi with toxins; insert ignore into journalissuearticles values(c); fungi with spore germination; insert ignore into journalissuearticles values(d); fungi with colony-forming. Nematode-destroying fungi are natural enemies of nematodes in soil ecosystems and have potential as biocontrol agents against plant- and animal-parasitic nematodes. These predator fungi catches free-living nematodes in the soil ecosystem using traps produced by the fungal mycelium that cling to the worm, then, penetrate, kill, and digest the tissue of the nematode. Five kinds of trapping apparatus belonging to fungi are defined. These are adhesive or sticky column, adhesive or sticky knob, adhesive or sticky system, constricting and non-constricting rings.
Keywords : nematode destroying fungi, pest management, biocontrol agents