Annals of Applied Biology (2008) 152, 169-177

Z.A. El-Hamalawi (2008)
Attraction, acquisition, retention and spatiotemporal distribution of soilborne plant pathogenic fungi by shore flies
Annals of Applied Biology 152 (2), 169-177
Abstract: Adult shore flies were experimentally shown to be aerial vectors for three soilborne plant pathogens: Verticillium dahliae, Fusarium oxysporum f. sp. basilici and Thielaviopsis basicola. Adult insects are attracted to sporulating cultures of the soilborne fungi investigated, as well as infected plant tissues. Shore flies acquired fungal propagules both by ingestion and surface contamination. The minimum acquisition time for propagules of soilborne fungi was 10-20 min and acquisition increased with time to reach 100% frass deposits infestation after 2 h of acquisition. The inoculum potential of the frass deposits was high considering that the number of viable spores deposited by one adult insect in a day was 2.38 × 10⁷, 3.08 × 10⁶ and 8.83 × 10⁶ for V. dahliae, F. oxysporum f. sp. basilici and T. basicola, respectively. Electron microscopy investigation implicated body surface contamination as a means of viable propagule acquisition. Pathogen distribution by adult shore flies was rapid over time at 2.21 cm² per hour per insect. The area over which the pathogen was distributed by adult shore flies increased with the increase in exposure time. The study showed that adult shore flies are efficient in the dispersal of the soilborne plant pathogen T. basicola.
(The abstract is excluded from the Creative Commons licence and has been copied with permission by the publisher.)
Link to article at publishers website

Research topic(s) for pests/diseases/weeds:
transmission/dispersal of plant diseases

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Pest and/or beneficial records:

Beneficial	Pest/Disease/Weed	Crop/Product	Country	Quarant.
	Verticillium dahliae
	Berkeleyomyces basicola
	Fusarium oxysporum f.sp. basilici
	Fusarium oxysporum