Role of soil mesofauna in dispersal of Coniothyrium minitans: transmission to sclerotia of Sclerotinia sclerotiorum

Coniothyrium minitans Campbell is a mycoparasite with proven biocontrol activity against Sclerotinia sclerotiorum (Lib.) de Bary in the field and glasshouse. It is known to spread from sites of application but the mechanisms of dispersal are unclear. As C. minitans has been recovered from collembolans collected during glasshouse trials, and numerous mites and insects are often associated with decaying S. sclerotiorum-infected plant material in the glasshouse, the mite Acarus siro L. and the collembolan Folsomia candida Willem were used to investigate the potential of soil mesofauna to disperse C. minitans. In an initial investigation, A. siro was found to transmit the mycoparasite from infected to uninfected sclerotia of S. sclerotiorum in moist sterile sand and non-sterile soil. Subsequently, a simple assay system to monitor transfer of C. minitans from colonised wheat grains to uninfected sclerotia of S. sclerotiorum was developed. Both A. siro and F. candida transmitted C. minitans at least 55 mm to sclerotia in soil at water potentials ranging from saturation to −3.6 MPa. Transmission by A. siro was greater in drier conditions (−0.25 to −3.6 MPa) as mites survived poorly in saturated soil. However, water potentials between saturation to −3.6 MPa had no effect on transmission by F. candida, although collembolans died after 18 d at water potentials of −5.4 MPa or drier. Generally, maximum dispersal occurred within 2 weeks. In soil lacking added arthropods, negligible spread of the mycoparasite was observed. These results suggest that soil mesofauna may be important in the dissemination of C. minitans.