Enhancing Plant Defense: The Role of Metarhizium brunneum in Modulating Strawberry Resistance to Spider Mites through Flavonoid Production and Rhizosphere Microbiome Alterations

Entomopathogenic fungi (EPF) colonize plant roots and help plant growth and suppressing pest population, so, the study of EPF mediated under- and aboveground interactions with plant physiological responses is critical to advance our understanding of mechanisms underlying information exchange in plants. In this study, we examined the plant-mediated effects of two strains of Metarhizium brunneum (KIS 1868 and KVL 16-36) on the population growth of two-spotted spider mites (Tetranychus urticae) in two strawberry cultivars (Faith and Rumba) as root inoculants. Furthermore, we investigated the flavonoid changes in strawberry leaves, and rhizosphere microbiota in response to M. brunneum inoculation (i.e., Triton X used as control vs. Mb KIS 1868 vs. Mb KVL 16-36) and spider mite feeding (i.e., non-infested vs. mite-infested).