The Potential of Esteya spp. for the Biocontrol of the Pinewood Nematode, Bursaphelenchus xylophilus

• Autor(a) principal: David, Pires
• Data de Publicação: 2022
• Outros Autores: Claudia, Vicente, Maria L, Inacio, Manuel, Mota
• Tipo de documento: Artigo
• Idioma: eng
• Título da fonte: Repositório Científico de Acesso Aberto de Portugal (Repositórios Cientìficos)
• Texto Completo: http://hdl.handle.net/10174/31333; https://doi.org/10.3390/ microorganisms10010168
• topic: Bursaphelenchus xylophilus; pine wilt disease; nematophagous fungi; biological control; Esteya

The pinewood nematode (PWN), Bursaphelenchus xylophilus, is the causal agent of pine wilt disease (PWD) and a quarantine organism in many countries. Managing PWD involves strict regulations and heavy contingency plans, and present climate change scenarios predict a spread of the disease. The urgent need for sustainable management strategies has led to an increasing interest in promising biocontrol agents capable of suppressing the PWN, like endoparasitic nematophagous fungi of the Esteya genus. Here, we review different aspects of the biology and ecology of these nematophagous fungi and provide future prospects.