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RESEARCH PRODUCT

Nematicidal Potential of Nematophagous Fungi

subject

description

Fungi show the excellent way to protect themselves against mycpphagous nematodes. For this purpose, they developed various means of protection, starting form creating traps, toxins production, adhesive spores and mycelia, and finishing on enzymatic predation leading to digestion of nematode body. They are also able to counteract the increase in the number of nematodes by ovi-parasitism and enzymatic digestion of eggs. Nature abounds in numerous examples of fungi with nematicidal activity. They belong to almost all the main fungal taxa and also may be found among fungi-like organisms. The nematicidal activity of fungi opens the gate with many interesting opportunities to use them in biological control of plant-parasitic nematodes as well as animal parasites. So far, only a few of that type fungi were used as the main active ingredient of nematicidal bio- preparations. This includes Paecilomyces lilacinus, Myrothecium verrucaria, Aspergillus niger, Pochonia chlamydosporia, Purpureocillium lilacinus, Trichoderma harzianum and T. viride