Naphthalene, an insect repellent, is produced by , a novel endophytic fungus Free

Abstract

is a recently described endophytic fungus of , a liana growing in the understorey of the rainforests of the Peruvian Amazon. This fungus produces naphthalene under certain cultural conditions. Naphthalene produced by was identified by gas chromatography/mass spectrometry. Its chromatographic and mass spectral properties were identical to authentic naphthalene. Agar plugs supporting growth of the fungus and producing known amounts of naphthalene effectively repelled the adult stage of the wheat stem sawfly, , in Y-tube bioassay tests. Authentic naphthalene, at comparable concentrations to those in tests involving the fungus itself, mimicked the insect repellency of the fungus. Although other spp. produce volatile antimicrobials, is unique in its ability to produce naphthalene almost exclusively. This report also describes the potential practical implications of .

Keyword(s): endophyte , insects and organic volatiles
Loading

Article metrics loading...

/content/journal/micro/10.1099/00221287-148-11-3737
2002-11-01
2024-03-28
Loading full text...

Full text loading...

/deliver/fulltext/micro/148/11/1483737a.html?itemId=/content/journal/micro/10.1099/00221287-148-11-3737&mimeType=html&fmt=ahah

References

  1. Azuma H, Toyota M, Asakawa Y., Kawano S. 1996; Naphthalene – constituent of magnolia flowers. Phytochemistry 42:999–1004
    [Google Scholar]
  2. Bacon C. W., White J. F. Jr 2000 Microbial Endophytes New York: Marcel Dekker;
    [Google Scholar]
  3. Bolton D. M., Eaton L. G. 1968 In MERCK Index, 8th edn. p 713 Edited by Stecher P. G., Windholz M., Leahy D. S. Rahway, NJ: Merck;
    [Google Scholar]
  4. Chen J, Henderson G, Grimm C. C, Lloyd S. W., Laine R. A. 1998; Termites fumigate their nests with naphthalene. Nature 392:558–559
    [Google Scholar]
  5. Daisy B. H, Strobel G. A, Ezra D, Castillo U, Baird G., Hess W. M. 2002; Muscodor vitigenus , sp. nov., an endophyte from Paullinia . Mycotaxon 81: in press
    [Google Scholar]
  6. Heath R. R., Manukian A. 1992; Development and evaluation of systems to collect volatile semiochemicals from insects and plants using a charcoal-infused medium for air purification. J Chem Ecol 18:1209–1226
    [Google Scholar]
  7. Morrill W. L, Weaver D. K., Johnson G. D. 2001; Trap strip and field border modification for management of the wheat stem sawfly ( Hymenoptera: Cephidae) . J Entomol Sci 36:34–45
    [Google Scholar]
  8. Pinkerton F., Strobel G. A. 1976; Serinol as an activator of toxin production in attenuated cultures of H. sacchari . Proc Natl Acad Sci USA 73:4007–4011
    [Google Scholar]
  9. Sokal R. R., Rohlf F. 1981 The Principles and Practice of Statistics in Biological Research New York: W. H. Freeman;
    [Google Scholar]
  10. Stone J. K, Bacon C. W., White J. F. 2000; An overview of endophytic microbes: endophytism defined. In Microbial Endophytes pp 3–29 Edited by Bacon C. W., White J. F. New York: Marcel Dekker;
    [Google Scholar]
  11. Strobel G. A, Dirske E, Sears J., Markworth C. 2001; Volatile antimicrobials from Muscodor albus , a novel endophytic fungus. Microbiology 147:2943–2950
    [Google Scholar]
  12. Worapong J, Strobel G. A, Daisy B. H, Castillo U, Baird G., Hess W. M. 2001; Muscodor albus anam. gen. et sp. nov., an endophyte from Cinnamomum zeylanicum . Mycotaxon 79:67–79
    [Google Scholar]
  13. Worapong J, Strobel G. A, Daisy B. H, Castillo U, Baird G., Hess W. M. 2002; Muscodor roseu s sp. nov., an endophyte from Grevillea pteridifolia . Mycotaxon 81:463–475
    [Google Scholar]
  14. Zadoks J. C, Chang T. T., Konsak C. F. 1974; A decimal code for the growth stages of cereals. Weed Res 14:15–21
    [Google Scholar]
http://instance.metastore.ingenta.com/content/journal/micro/10.1099/00221287-148-11-3737
Loading
/content/journal/micro/10.1099/00221287-148-11-3737
Loading

Data & Media loading...

Most cited Most Cited RSS feed