Nematicidal and antifeedant activity of ethyl acetate extracts from culture filtrates of Arabidopsis thaliana fungal endophytes

Endophytic fungi produce a diverse range of bioactive secondary metabolites with potential applications in biopesticide development. This study investigates the nematicidal and antifeedant properties of ethyl acetate extracts from endophytic fungi isolated from wild Arabidopsis thaliana populations in Spain. The extracts were tested against the plant-parasitic nematode Meloidogyne javanica, and two common insect pests, Myzus persicae and Spodoptera littoralis. Nine of the 13 extracts demonstrated significant nematicidal and/or antifeedant activity, indicating their potential as biopesticides. The active extracts were derived from six genera: Alternaria (3 isolates), Dydimella (1), Dothiora (1), Pleiochaeta (1), Penicillium (1), and Fusarium (2). Five extracts exhibited nematicidal activity above 90%, with three reducing the total number of M. javanica second-stage juveniles hatched from egg masses by 22-37%. Four extracts showed strong settling inhibition (> 70%) against M. persicae, and three exhibited feeding inhibition against S. littoralis. Chemical analysis by GC-MS and LC-MS revealed a wide array of unique secondary metabolites in the active extracts, reflecting substantial chemical diversity, regardless of the fungal origin. This study highlights the potential of fungal endophytes from A. thaliana as sources of novel biopesticides, paving the way for future research focused on harnessing these fungi for biopesticide development.

Open Access funding provided thanks to the CRUE-CSIC agreement with Springer Nature. S.D.-G was supported by a Margarita Salas Grant for junior doctors (RD 289/2021), funded by the Spanish Ministry of Science, Innovation and Universities (MCIN/AEI/https://doi.org/10.13039/501100011033) and the European Union – NextGenerationEU and PID2021-123697OB-I00 funded by MCIN/AEI/https://doi.org/10.13039/501100011033 and “ERDF A way of making Europe”. C.G.-S was supported by grant PEJ-2020-AI/BIO-19,580 funded by Comunidad de Madrid and is currently supported by grants PRE2022-103983 and CEX2020-000999-S-20-3 funded by MCIN/AEI/ https://doi.org/10.13039/501100011033 and “ESF Investing in your future”. S.S. research is supported by grant PID2021-123697OB-I00 funded by MCIN/AEI/https://doi.org/10.13039/501100011033 and “ERDF A way of making Europe”. S.D.-G., A.G.-C. and M.A. research was supported by grant PID2019-106222RB-C31/SRA (State Research Agency, https://doi.org/10.13039/501100011033 ).

With funding form the Spanish government through the "Severa Ochoa Centre of Excellence" accreditation (CEX2020-000999-S-20-3).

Peer reviewed