Fate of fungal biocontrol agents and their non-target effects on the native cultivable mycobiota in strawberry agroecosystems.
Fungal biocontrol agents, including T. harzianum, decline significantly on ripe strawberry berries, with U. atrum becoming undetectable after field application.
- Why it matters: Understanding the establishment and non-target effects of BCAs is crucial for developing safe and effective biological control strategies in agriculture, yet data under field conditions are limited.
- What they did: Researchers conducted field and semi-field experiments applying three BCAs to strawberries, measuring population densities and assessing impacts on native mycobiota over several weeks.
- The result: The BCAs showed a strong decline in population density, with minimal effects on native fungi, indicating limited non-target impacts and supporting their safe use in strawberry cultivation.