Pathogenicity and its mode of action in different sedentary stages of Heterodera glycines (Tylenchida: Heteroderidae) by Verticillium lecanii hybrid strains

Abstract

The current study was conducted to investigate the pathogenicity and its mode of action by Verticillium lecanii hybrid strains in different sedentary stages of Heterodera glycines. Three different sedentary stages (pale yellow female, yellow brown cyst, and dark brown cyst) of H. glycines were treated with V. lecanii and incubated for 3 weeks on water agar. After 3 weeks of incubation, eggs were investigated for the following parameters: (i) the infection frequencies of eggs, (ii) the number of eggs laid, and (iii) the number of mature and healthy eggs. Subsequently, the fecundity of H. glycines treated with V. lecanii was investigated in greater detail. Consequently, some strains had a greater ability to infect eggs and this significantly reduced the number of eggs laid and mature eggs in pale yellow females. This study indicates that V. lecanii is more effective on females rather than cysts of H. glycines and that V. lecanii may act on H. glycines in multiple ways.