In Vitro Effects of Secondary Plant Compounds on Germination of Blastospores of the Entomopathogenic Fungus Paecilomyces fumosoroseus (Deuteromycotina: Hyphomycetes)

Abstract Seven secondary plant compounds (catechol, chlorogenic acid, gallic acid, salicylic acid, saponin, sinigrin, and tannic acid) mixed with Noble agar at three concentrations (100, 500, and 1000 ppm) were tested for their effects on germination of blastospores of the fungal entomopathogen Paecilomyces fumosoroseus. With individual allelochemicals incorporated at 100 ppm in Noble agar, significant differences in time to 95% germination were found between two allelochemicals (catechol and salicylic acid) and the control. Blastospores in media containing 100 ppm catechol took twice as long (10 hr) to reach 95% germination as the control. Germination of blastospores in medium containing catechol, salicylic acid, or tannic acid at 500 was 55, 56, and 46%, respectively, in contrast to less than 10% when the concentration was 1000 ppm. These results indicate that the presence of allelochemicals on a substrate (e.g., insect cuticle or leaf) may be an additional constraint to the survival of entomopathogenic fungi.