Horn fly larval survival in cattle dung is reduced by endophyte infection of tall fescue pasture.
BACKGROUND
The potential for using endophytic microorganisms in pest control has increased during the last 40 years. In this study, we investigated the impact of endophyte (Neotyphodium coenophialum) infection of cattle pasture upon the survival of the horn fly, Haematobia irritans, a major agricultural pest affecting livestock in many parts of the world.


RESULTS
In laboratory assays, where cattle dung collected from endophyte-infected (E+) tall fescue cultivar K-31 was used as the oviposition substrate, larval development was significantly reduced compared with development on cattle dung from steers that grazed uninfected (E-) tall fescue. Furthermore, studies with cattle dung supplemented with the alkaloid fraction extracted from the endophytic fungi revealed significant larval mortality, and HPLC analysis identified two alkaloids, peramine and lolitrem B. The development of larvae was shown to be significantly reduced in field-collected cattle dung. These results suggest that part of the toxicity of alkaloids contained in endophytes is transferred to faecal matter, causing an increase in mortality of H. irritans.


CONCLUSION
These data suggest that endophyte infection of cattle pasture, i.e. modified pasture management, can significantly affect horn fly development. © 2015 Society of Chemical Industry.
['Parra|Leonardo|L|', 'Mutis|Ana|A|', 'Chacón|Manuel|M|', 'Lizama|Marcelo|M|', 'Rojas|Claudio|C|', 'Catrileo|Adrián|A|', 'Rubilar|Olga|O|', 'Tortella|Gonzalo|G|', 'Birkett|Michael A|MA|', 'Quiroz|Andrés|A|']
D000818:Animals D002417:Cattle D060026:Endophytes D005243:Feces D031751:Festuca D006999:Hypocreales D007814:Larva D009117:Muscidae D010572:Pest Control, Biological
cattle endophyte Haematobia irritans alkaloid mortality