RUDN University agronomists have learned to destroy potato aphids using harmless mushrooms

Potatoes are one of the most important vegetable crops for food systems in all countries. At the same time, it is one of the most pathogen-prone crops. Many bacteria and viruses enter potatoes through insect vectors. For example, the aphid Myzus persicae infects potatoes with viruses, this causes the death of the plant and leads to crop loss. To protect potatoes, agronomists use insecticides. Unfortunately, farmers often do not take into account sanitary standards and exceed the adequate dose of insecticides. This leads not only to environmental consequences, but also to repeated pest outbreaks. RUDN University agronomists and colleagues from Algeria proposed an alternative solution to this problem — using Cladosporium mushrooms to combat aphids.

“The fight against most viral potato diseases is based on the control of aphids as biological vectors. This is done through regular use of insecticides. But there are no regulatory standards, and farmers use insecticides unsustainably. This comes with high costs and can lead to many problems. For example, secondary outbreaks of pests, destruction of beneficial fauna, environmental pollution,” Rebukh Nazikh, Candidate of Agricultural Sciences, Associate Professor of the Department of Environmental Management at RUDN University.

Agronomists used Cladosporium mushrooms. These are endophytic organisms, that is, they inhabit plants and do not cause any negative consequences. Agronomists prepared several solutions with different concentrations of three types of endophyte fungi — from 20% to 80%. The aphids were placed on individual potato leaves and then sprayed with solutions. Ten hours later, agronomists counted the number of surviving aphids.

All three species in all concentrations were active against the potato aphid Myzus persicae. Even the lowest effective solution killed 45% of aphids. The best result was achieved for the fungus species BEL21 at a concentration of 80% — it destroyed 94.96% of aphids.

“Solutions with cultures of endophytic fungi have proven to be effective drugs for controlling potato aphids. The use of these bioproducts disrupts the vital activity and stability of this pest. Therefore, we recommend not only continuing to improve these formulations, but also looking for new applications. For example, for seed treatment,” Rebukh Nazih.

The results were published in the journal Plants.