Biological control potential of some selected endophytic bacteria against the Colorado potato beetle, Leptinotarsa decemlineata (Say, 1824) (Coleoptera: Chrysomelidae), and their effects on potato plant growth

Abstract

This study evaluated the efficacy of six selected endophytic bacteria both against the Colorado potato beetle, Leptinotarsa decemlineata (Say, 1824) (Coleoptera: Chrysomelidae), and potential impact on potato plant growth. The bacterial isolates, selected based on prior activities, were tested in in vivo pot trials against L. decemlineata larvae. Their influence on plant growth was also measured under both pest-infested and pest-free conditions. The experiments were conducted between 2022 and 2024 under controlled growth chamber conditions at the Plant Protection Department of Ege University's Faculty of Agriculture. Bacterial applications caused corrected larval mortality rates of 21.87-56.25% compared to the untreated control. The most effective isolate, Chryseobacterium gleum (Holmes et al.) Vandamme et al. (Flavobacteriales: Weeksellaceae) (6), caused 56.25% mortality and exhibited significantly high proteolytic activity. These results demonstrate that the selected endophytic bacteria can significantly reduce L. decemlineata populations and enhance plant growth, showcasing their potential as dual-action biocontrol agents in potato cultivation.

Keywords

• Biological control
• endophytic bacteria
• Leptinotarsa decemlineata
• plant growth promoters
• potato beetle

Bazı endofitik bakterilerin patates böceği, Leptinotarsa decemlineata (Say, 1824) (Coleoptera: Chrysomelidae)’ya karşı biyolojik mücadele potansiyeli ve bitki büyümesi üzerindeki etkileri

Öz

Bu çalışma, seçilen altı endofitik bakterinin Colorado patates böceği, Leptinotarsa decemlineata (Say, 1824) (Coleoptera: Chrysomelidae) üzerindeki etkinliğini ve patates bitkisinin büyümesi üzerindeki potansiyel etkisini değerlendirmiştir. Önceki faaliyetlere göre seçilen bakteri izolatları, L. decemlineata larvalarına karşı in vivo saksı denemelerinde test edilmiştir. Bitki büyümesi üzerindeki etkileri de hem zararlının bulunduğu hem de zararlının bulunmadığı koşullarda ölçülmüştür. Denemeler, 2022 ile 2024 yılları arasında Ege Üniversitesi Ziraat Fakültesi Bitki Koruma Bölümü’ne ait kontrollü büyüme odası koşullarında gerçekleştirilmiştir. Bakteriyel uygulamalar, uygulama görmemiş kontrol grubuna kıyasla %21.87-56.25 oranında larva ölüm oranlarına neden olmuştur. En etkili izolat olan Chryseobacterium gleum (Holmes et al.) Vandamme et al. (Flavobacteriales: Weeksellaceae) (6), %56.25 ölüm oranına neden olmuş ve önemli ölçüde yüksek proteolitik aktivite göstermiştir. Bu sonuçlar, seçilen endofitik bakterilerin L. decemlineata popülasyonlarını önemli ölçüde azaltabildiğini ve bitki büyümesini artırabildiğini göstererek, patates yetiştiriciliğinde çift yönlü etkili biyolojik mücadele ajanları olarak potansiyellerini ortaya koymaktadır.

Anahtar Kelimeler

• Biyolojik mücadele
• endofitik bakteriler
• Leptinotarsa decemlineata
• bitki büyüme teşvik edicileri
• patates böceği

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