Novedades
Aquí publicamos las últimas novedades relacionadas al laboratorio, desde nuevas líneas de investigación y últimas publicaciones hasta nuevos premios y puestos de trabajo.
Últimas Novedades
Noviembre 2024
Nuestro Laboratorio de Servicios ganó un Premio Internacional
El producto patentado «Kit de cebos con agentes biológicos para el control sustentable de hormigas cortadoras de hojas, una de las principales plagas agrícolas de América» ha sido galardonado con el premio «Mejor Explotación Agraria Sostenible» en los Agritech Innovations Awards 2024, celebrados en Málaga, España. Este fue el único proyecto argentino en ser galardonado con un premio.
2025
Búsqueda de candidatos para tesis de Licenciatura/Doctorado.
Si te interesa hacer una tesis, contamos con temáticas que incluyen el estudio básico y aplicado de interacciones entre hongos, insectos y/o plantas.
2025
Se ofrecen pasantías por 6 meses para aprender y aplicar técnicas microbiológicas.
¿Querés iniciar tu experiencia en un laboratorio de investigación y servicios?
Ofrecemos pasantías por 6 meses a estudiantes de los últimos años de Lic. en Biotecnología, Biología y afines, para aprender y aplicar técnicas microbiológicas.
Últimas Publicaciones
2024
“Fungal endophyte inoculation Methods Different levels of endophytism and effects in strawberry plants.”
Daniela Goffré, Henry Rocano Domínguez, Franco Robles, Patricia Folgarait. – Trabajo presentado en Congreso: International Union of Microbiological Societies (IUMS 2024) – pág. 3622.
Background and Aims
Several endophytes confer benefits to plants. We evaluated whether the Purpureocillium lilacinum strain A varied its endophytism and beneficial effect in strawberry plants when using different inoculation methods.
Methods
First, we inoculated the root (dipping) or the leaves (spraying) of strawberry plants with fungal suspensions, and collected leaves to assess endophytism.
We measured several growth parameters, and the final biomass. Second, we compared root and leaf endophytism using two root inoculation Methods
dipping and drenching. Finally, we combined both root methods and included 1 or 2 fungal re-applications via drenching, and measured endophytism aside from length, biomass, and total leaves.
Results
Leaf endophytism was greater with the spraying method compared to the root dipping (9% and 0%) after 14 days post-inoculation (dpi). All inoculated plants showed healthier leaves than control plants. Additionally, the spraying method produced greater root biomass. Root endophytism was greater using dipping than drenching at 7 dpi (67% and 4%, respectively) and 14 dpi (34% and 2%), but was 0% at 30 dpi. Leaf endophytism was close to 0% under both methods. Root endophytism from the third experiment did not change among treatments at 14 dpi (24% to 22%), and leaf endophytism increased with reapplications but was lower than the spraying method. Inoculated plants had greater aerial length, aerial biomass, and final number of leaves compared to control plants, especially when reapplied.
Conclusions
Several benefits of P. lilacinum are demonstrated with different inoculation methods in strawberry plants. Future experiments combining root and leaf
inoculations could further improve plant growth promotion.
2024
"Endophytic colonization of purpureocillium lilacinum in strawberry plants: Benefits from six strains and multiple inoculations.”
Henry Rocano Domínguez, Daniela Goffré, Patricia Folgarait – Trabajo presentado en Congreso: International Union of Microbiological Societies (IUMS 2024) – pág. 3630.
Background and Aims
Strawberry crops have different challenges, including diseases and negative environmental conditions. Endophytes are microorganisms able to provide
various benefits that minimize the negative effects of these problems. In this study, the endophytic potential of six strains (A to F) of the fungus
Purpureocillium lilacinum in strawberry plants was evaluated. Additionally, the effect of one, two, and three inoculations on endophytism percentage and
plant promotion was assessed using three selected strains.
Methods
Foliar spray application was used for the inoculation of strawberry plants. Endophytic percentage was measured by cutting leaf sections, disinfecting and placing them on PDA plates for 7 days. Morphometric parameters were also recorded.
Results
In the first study, at 54 days post-inoculation (dpi), plants inoculated with strains D and F were significantly taller than the control group. Strains E, C,
and D, had the highest level of endophytism compared to strains A, B, and F. Young leaves showed higher endophytic colonization than mature leaves.
In the subsequent study, at 56 dpi, some treatments and strains showed significant benefits in leaf and root weight, plant height, and the number of
total and healthy leaves. Results showed that multiple inoculations increased endophytism. Overall, positive and negative correlations were found between
endophytism and plant promotion variables.
Conclusions
P. lilacinum is an effective endophyte in strawberry plants, indicating its potential for agricultural applications. However, it is recommended to study the effects on plants under stress conditions and consider the use of a consortium of strains that could provide complementary and/or synergistic
benefits to strawberry plants.
2023
“Control of pest ants by pathogenic fungi: state of the art”
Folgarait, P. J. y Goffré, D. – Frontiers in Fungal Biology. Special issue on Ant-Fungi Interactions.
Abstract: Pest ants are known for their damage to biodiversity, harm to agriculture, and negative impact on human welfare. Ants thrive when environmental opportunities arise, becoming pests and/or invading non-native areas. As social insects, they are extremely difficult to control using sustainable methods like biological control. The latter, although safer to the environment, acts slowly allowing the ants to use their individual and social defenses. Among biocontrol agents, fungal pathogens were proposed as promising, however, it is difficult to ascertain their success when the bibliography has not been reviewed and condensed. Therefore, this paper is the first in performing such task by analyzing publications mainly from 2000 to 2022 about the control of pest ants by fungi. From 85 publications selected, 77% corresponded to laboratory studies. Beauveria and Metarhizium were the genera most used in laboratory and field studies. Most of them included Acromyrmex and Atta leaf-cutter ants (LCA), and Solenopsis fire ants. From laboratory experiments, we evaluated how ant net mortality was affected by ant and fungal species, and also by origin, concentration, and inoculation technique of the fungal strains tested. Beauveria bassiana and Metarhizium anisopliae produced the greatest mortality, along with the inoculation spray technique and fungal strains collected from ants. There was a positive relationship between ant mortality and fungal concentration only for those studies which evaluated more than one concentration. Twenty field experimental studies were found, covering 13 pest species, mainly LCA and Solenopsis invicta. Only B. bassiana was tested on Solenopsis, M. anisopliae was mostly used for Acromyrmex, and M. anisopliae or Trichoderma were mainly used with Atta species. The median control field efficiency varied from 20% to 85% for different fungi and ant genera. When grouping all fungal species together, the median control efficiency seemed to be better for Acromyrmex (67%) than for Atta and Solenopsis (both 43%). Our review shows that, at this stage of knowledge, it is very difficult to extrapolate any result. We offer suggestions to improve and standardize laboratory and field experimental studies in order to advance more efficiently in the fungal control of pest ants.
2023
"Entomopathogenic strains of the fungus Purpureocillium lilacinum damage the fungal cultivar of pest leaf-cutter ants"
Goffré, D. y Folgarait, P. J. – Neotropical Entomology 52(4):731-741
Abstract: Purpureocillium lilacinum (Hypocreales: Ophiocordycipitaceae) is a cosmopolitan fungus not only pathogenic to insect and nematode hosts but also to other fungi. Although having one organism with multiple effects would be desirable in a biocontrol strategy, few studies have looked at the multiple roles one strain could play. This work shows how three strains of P. lilacinum, previously proven to be entomopathogenic to leaf-cutter ants (LCA), could degrade several strains of Leucoagaricus sp., the fungus cultivated by LCA as their food source. We isolated four strains of Leucoagaricus sp. from Acromyrmex and Atta LCA species, and we determined their species molecularly, as well as their clade identity (Leucoagaricus gongylophorus, clade-A). We observed the effects on growth rates on Petri dishes and the interaction of microscopic structures of both fungi on slides. All three P. lilacinum strains inhibited the growth of L. gongylophorus. They also degraded all L. gongylophorus isolated from the Acromyrmex species, causing hyphae expansion and degradation of the cell wall. However, only one of them succeeded in degrading the L. gongylophorus strain isolated from the Atta species. The results confirm the damage to the hyphae of ant cultivars and highlight the need for future studies that reveal whether such behavior is due to P. lilacinum’s mycoparasitic behavior. Using a single P. lilacinum strain with a dual function that includes the degradation of the cultivar of LCA of both genera would be a very promising strategy for the biocontrol of one of the worst herbivore pests in the Neotropics.
Línea de Investigación más reciente
Buscando soluciones no contaminantes y sustentables, estamos probando varias cepas fúngicas multifuncionales como endófitas en plantas de frutillas y evaluando los beneficios que les confieren a estas plantas.