Agricultural Research Organization Ramat Yishay, Israel
The vast amount of global crop losses inflicted by arthropods calls for the development of efficient and sustainable pest control strategies. The use of biocontrol agents (BCAs) is one such strategy, but in many cases, it is not efficient enough. Our basic assumption was that it is possible to improve the efficiency of BCAs by manipulating their microbial composition. Two examples will be presented: First, omnivorous bugs of the genus Macrolophus (Heteroptera: Miridae), which are key natural enemies of various economically important agricultural pests. Within that genus, both M. pygmaeus and M. melanotoma, harbor two Rickettsia species, R. bellii and R. limoniae. Second, the parasitoid wasp Anagyrus vladimiri Triapitsyn (Hymenoptera: Encyrtidae), an important natural enemy of mealybug pests, in which the microbial assembly includes the bacterium Wolbachia as well as newly-discovered RNA viruses from three different families. In both study systems lines with different microbial complexes have been established, and were further used in different bioassays to determine the phenotypic effect of each symbiont. The results so far suggest that host-microbiome interactions may serve as a tool for improving the efficiency of BCAs in agricultural setups, and thereby reducing chemical pesticide applications.
