• The Korean Journal of Mycology
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• v.37 no.2
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• pp.139-143
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• 2009

Several entomopathogenic fungi have been exploited to be developed into biological control agents in insect pest management. The beet armyworm, Spodoptera exigua, is a serious insect pest infesting various crops, but not effectively controlled by commercial chemical pesticides due to its high insecticide resistance. A fungal isolate was isolated from S. exigua larvae collected from cabbage field in Andong, Korea. The fungus could be cultured in potato dextrose agar. Larvae of S. exigua injected with the cultured conidia showed a potent entomopathogenicity. To identify the fungus isolate, its internal transcribed space (ITS) and surrounding partial 18S/28S regions were sequenced. The ITS sequence was highly matched (99%) to that of Nomuraea rileyi. Morphological characters of its hyphae and conidia were well fit to those of known N. rileyi. This study reports the first record of an entomopathogenic fungus, N. rileyi, in Korea.

• International Journal of Industrial Entomology and Biomaterials
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• v.39 no.2
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• pp.67-73
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• 2019

The genomic structure of the Cu/Zn superoxide dismutase (SOD1) gene from the entomopathogenic fungus, Cordyceps pruinosa was characterized. The SOD1 gene of C. pruinosa spans 947 nucleotides and consisted of four exons encoding for 154 amino acids and three introns. Four exons of the SOD1 gene are composed of 13, 331, 97 and 20 nucleotides respectively. Homology search of amino acid sequences of the SOD1 gene of C. pruinosa with another 13 fungi species showed higher sequence similarity of 69% ~ 95% and had the most highest sequence identity of 95% with Beauveria bassiana and Cordyceps militaris, which can easely infect domesticated Bombyx mori and another wild lepidopteran species in artificial or natual manner of infection. This SOD1 gene sequence showed copper, zinc and beta-barrel fold sites. Homology search showed that the Cu/Zn SOD1 gene from the entomopathogenic fungus, C. pruinosa is an orthologous gene homolog present in different species of organism whose ancestor predates the split between the relating species. In addition, C. pruinosa SOD1 gene is placed together within the ascomycetes group of fungal clade. From these results it is concluded that C. pruinosa SOD1 gene is orthologous gene having the same or very similar functions with a common evolutionary ancestor.

• Mycobiology
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• v.28 no.3
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• pp.130-132
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• 2000

While studying Bombyx mori "Zipnuae" inoculated with an entomopathogenic fungus, Paecilomyces tenuipes, a mycoparasitic hymenoascomycete with a long neck was isolated from the silkworm rearing room. The fungus was identified as Syspastospora parasitica which has been recognized as a hyperparasite on various moniliaceous hyphomycetes. A descriptive illustration is presented in this study.

• The Korean Journal of Mycology
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• v.26 no.3 s.86
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• pp.399-402
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• 1998

An entomopathogenic fungus, Zoophthora radicans, was found causing epizootics in populations of the green peach aphid, Myzus persicae, on March 27, 1998 at Seongju Gun, Kyungbuk Province in Korea. Anamorhic characteristics of the fungus were described using light and scanning electron microscopy. Distinguishing characteristics of Z. radicans is formation of capilliconidia on a single slender secondary conidiophore.

• Mycobiology
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• v.47 no.1
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• pp.126-133
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• 2019

Isaria javanica pf185 is an important entomopathogenic fungus with potential for use as an agricultural biocontrol agent. However, the effect of I. javanica pf185 on plant growth is unknown. Enhanced tobacco growth was observed when tobacco roots were exposed to spores, cultures, and fungal cell-free culture supernatants of this fungus. Tobacco seedlings were also exposed to the volatiles of I. javanica pf185 in vitro using I-plates in which the plant and fungus were growing in separate compartments connected only by air space. The length and weight of seedlings, content of leaf chlorophyll, and number of root branches were significantly increased by the fungal volatiles. Heptane, 3-hexanone, 2,4-dimethylhexane, and 2-nonanone were detected, by solid-phase micro-extraction and gas chromatography-mass spectrophotometry, as the key volatile compounds produced by I. javanica pf185. These findings illustrate that I. javanica pf185 can be used to promote plant growth, and also as a biocontrol agent of insect and plant diseases. Further studies are necessary to elucidate the mechanisms by which I. javanica pf185 promotes plant growth.

• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
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• v.8 no.3
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• pp.284-286
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• 1998

A ura5 gene encoding Orotate Phosphoribosyl Transferase (OPRTase) of Metarhizium anisopliae was cloned by PCR methods and sequenced. The sequenced ura 5 gene encodes a polypeptide of 234 amino acid residues. This deduced amino acid sequence showed high similarity to other fungi OPRTase and there was no intron sequence between ATG starting codon and TGA ending codon.

• Korean journal of applied entomology
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• v.35 no.1
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• pp.80-84
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• 1996

Infectivity of entomopathogenic nematodes and fungus was evaluated against fly larvae in the laboratory and outhouses. Mortalities of Muscina stabulans larvae were 96.7f 2.8% in Steinernema glaseri Dongrae strain, 90.0+0.0% in S. carpocapsae All strain, 86.7f 2.7% in Heterorhabditis bacteriophora Hamyang strain, and 70.0+9.4% in S. carpocapsae Pocheon strain on the filter paper. When 260, 000 nem\ulcornertodes were sprayed into the outhouses, H. bacterwphora Hamyang strain killed 100%, S. glaseri Dongrae strain killed 76.9+3.9%, and S. carpocapsae Pocheon strain killed 58.5+6.1% of maggots. When 130, 000 nematodes and 7.0X lo9 cfu of entomopathogenic fungus, Beauveria brongniartii were sprayed alone or combined into outhouses, mortalities of maggots were 73.6+0.1% in B. brongniartii alone, 77.8+3.9% in S. carpocapsae Pocheon strain plus B. brongniartii, and 77.7f 5.1% in H. bacteriophora Hamyang strain plus B. brongniartii. Entomopathogenic nematodes and fungus were potential biological control agents in this study.

• Applied Biological Chemistry
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• v.40 no.1
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• pp.30-33
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• 1997

About 250 bp ura5 gene (Orotate phosphoribosyl transferase) fragment was cloned from genomic DNA of entomopathogenic fungus Metarhizium anisopliae by using PCR method. Entire nucleotide sequences of cloned DNA fragment were determined and analysed as compared with other fungus ura5 genes. The amino acid sequence deduced from the nucleotide sequence showed 85.5% homology to ura5 protein of Trichoderma reesei. Using this 250 bp PCR fragment we have isolated full ura5 gene of M. anisopliae by genomic Southern hybridization and the isolated 4.4 kb DNA fragments were mapped by restrictional enzyme.

• International Journal of Industrial Entomology and Biomaterials
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• v.18 no.2
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• pp.125-129
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• 2009

Entomopathogenic fungi were isolated directly from a cadaver of adult Monochamus alternatus supporting fungal sporulation, using a semi-selective medium and then screened several fungal colonies. The pathogenicity of each fungus was tested using oak longicorn beetle, Moechotypa diphysis, as substitutive insect. As the result, only one of them showed high pathogenicity against M. diphysis, with up to 100% mortality within 21 days of inoculation. Selected fungus was named as MaW1 and identified by Beauveria bassiana using microscopic examination and DNA analysis. Pathogenicity was also evaluated to M. alternatus.

• Mycobiology
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• v.34 no.2
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• pp.83-91
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• 2006

Characteristic growth patterns of Cordyceps militaris isolates on various media, under varying light conditions and at varying incubation periods were examined. Light was found to be the most critical single factor in determining the density, texture, and pigmentation of the mycelial culture of the fungus. However, under the light condition, the degree of pigmentation and mycelial density were found to be affected by the incubation period and type of medium. Irrespective of the variations in medium type or incubation period, there was no pigmentation of the mycelium under dark condition. Radial growth of the mycelium was faster under dark incubation rather than under light incubation. Abundant mycelial density and darkest pigmentation of C. militaris isolates were produced in nutritionally rich media like SDAY, SMAY and CZYA, suggesting that these media may fulfill all the requirements for vegetative growth of the fungus. Growth characteristics of C. militaris isolates could be easily observed by the simple agar culture method, which would be useful to characterize the phenotypic characteristics of large number of pure cultures of the fungus under given conditions of growth factors such as medium, light and temperature.