Premium
Evidence for hyperparasitism of coffee rust ( Hemileia vastatrix ) by the entomogenous fungus, Lecanicillium lecanii , through a complex ecological web
Author(s) -
Vandermeer J.,
Perfecto I.,
Liere H.
Publication year - 2009
Publication title -
plant pathology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.928
H-Index - 85
eISSN - 1365-3059
pISSN - 0032-0862
DOI - 10.1111/j.1365-3059.2009.02067.x
Subject(s) - biology , scale insect , mutualism (biology) , botany , rust (programming language) , biological pest control , entomopathogenic fungus , fungus , horticulture , beauveria bassiana , computer science , hemiptera , programming language
The entomogenous fungus, Lecanicillium lecanii is hyperparasitic on Hemileia vastatrix , the cause of coffee leaf rust in the laboratory, and has frequently been observed attacking it in the field. The existence of a complex ecological web involving the spatially clustered mutualism of an ant ( Azteca instabilis ) with a scale insect ( Coccus viridis ), where the scale insect was infected by L. lecanii , prompted a search for a spatial correlation between the attack of L. lecanii on the scale insect and the incidence of rust in a commercial coffee crop. A weak but statistically significant effect of hyperparasitic control of coffee rust was observed on two distinct scales: in a 45‐ha plot and on a scale of approximately 10 m. It was concluded that this effect was linked to an indirect effect of the ant–coccid mutualism, where L. lecanii was a parasite of the coccid.