Beauveria bassiana, an entomopathogenic fungus, can exist asymptomatically as an endophyte in many plants. This study aimed to determine the efficiency of B. bassiana colonization of tomato plants using different inoculation methods, and how colonization of the host plant affects the key pest of tomato, the whitefly Bemisia tabaci. To confirm fungal colonization efficiency, nested PCR technique was used to detect B. bassiana sequences in Solanum lycopersicum. Distribution of the fungus within the plant parts was determined by selective medium. Tomato growth parameters were determined with plants that had been inoculated using direct spraying or irrigation of the rhizosphere. B. tabaci performance assays were carried out in a cage, and preference to treatments was determined using Y-tube olfactometer studies. Results show that B. bassiana can effectively colonize tomato, with colonization rate using leaf spraying reaching 100% within 14 days. Fungal presence was not uniformly distributed among plant parts, but was biased towards the inoculation sites. For inoculation, conidial suspension sprayed at 1 × 10⁸ conidia/ml resulted in the highest number of isolated colonies in leaf tissue, 8.5 ± 2.02 colonies per 2 g of fresh tissue (F_4,19 = 2.779, P = 0.045), and reached the lowest with root treatment. Although only small differences were observed among the growth indicators, leaf spray inoculation resulted in a significant positive influence on plant growth (PC1 55.7% contributions scores = 2.645) in further Principal component analysis. As for the feeding selectivity, B. tabaci preferred uninoculated plants. In Y-tube olfactometer assay, 80.5% of adults selected uninoculated plants. These findings add to the understanding of the interactions between B. bassiana and plants and indicate the potential of expanding the use of entomopathogenic fungi for crop protection.

中文翻译：

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球孢白僵菌的内生菌落定植增加了番茄对烟粉虱的抗性

球孢白僵菌（Berveria bassiana）是一种昆虫病原真菌，在许多植物中都可以作为内生菌无症状地存在。这项研究旨在确定使用不同接种方法对番茄球茎定殖的定殖效率，以及寄主植物定殖如何影响番茄的关键害虫烟粉虱烟粉虱。为了确认真菌定植效率，使用巢式PCR技术检测茄属茄属中的球孢杆菌序列。真菌在植物部分内的分布通过选择性培养基确定。用直接喷洒或根际灌溉接种的植物确定番茄的生长参数。烟粉虱在笼中进行性能测定，并使用Y型管嗅觉计研究确定对治疗的偏爱。结果表明，球孢白僵菌能有效地定殖在番茄上，叶面喷施定植率在14天内达到100％。真菌的存在不是均匀分布在植物部位之间，而是偏向接种部位。对于接种，以1×10 ⁸分生孢子/ ml喷雾的分生孢子悬液导致叶片组织中分离菌落的数量最高，每2 g新鲜组织为8.5±2.02个菌落（F _4,19  = 2.779，P = 0.045），并且在进行根处理后达到最低。尽管在生长指标之间仅观察到很小的差异，但在进一步的主成分分析中，叶面喷雾接种对植物生长产生了显着的积极影响（PC1 55.7％贡献得分= 2.645）。至于进食的选择性，烟粉虱优选未接种的植物。在Y型管嗅觉测定中，有80.5％的成年成年人选择了未接种的植物。这些发现增加了对球芽孢杆菌与植物之间相互作用的理解，并表明扩大昆虫病原真菌用于作物保护的潜力。