Isolation, Identification, and Evaluation of the Predatory Activity of Chinese Arthrobotrys Species towards Economically Important Plant-Parasitic Nematodes.

The current investigation aimed to isolate and identify predatory fungal strains and evaluate their efficacy in mitigating the effects of plant-parasitic nematodes. We successfully isolated three distinct nematophagous fungal strains from soil samples, identified as Arthrobotrys megalosporus , A. oligospora , and A. sinensis , using conventional and molecular identification methodologies. In vitro trials illustrated the high capture efficiency of these fungi against plant-parasitic nematodes. Over an exposure period of 48 h to Aphelenchoides besseyi , Bursaphelenchus xylophilus , and Ditylenchus destructor , A. megalosporus (GUCC220044) displayed predation rates of 99.7%, 83.0%, and 21.1%, respectively. A. oligospora (GUCC220045) demonstrated predation rates of 97.3%, 97.3%, and 54.6%, and A. sinensis (GUCC220046) showed rates of 85.1%, 68.3%, and 19.0% against the same cohort of nematodes. The experimental outcomes substantiate that all three identified fungal strains demonstrate predatory activity against the tested nematodes, albeit with varying efficiencies.