Data from: First report of Fusarium citri as an entomopathogenic fungus mediating plant resistance against insect pests and phytopathogens

Fusarium citri, has been historically recognized as a phytopathogen but
never as an entomophagous fungus (EPF) with plant endogeneity. In the
present study, an F. citri strain, FcS1GZL-1, was isolated and identified
from diseased Spodoptera litura larvae in a soybean field. The
pathogenicity and antagonistic activity of FcS1GZL-1 against five insect
pests from Lepidoptera and Hemiptera and a soil-borne pathogen Sclerotinia
sclerotiorum, respectively, were assessed, as well as its ability to
colonize plants via root irrigation. Induced resistance to insect pests
and phytopathogens was also measured. The expression of plant resistance
related genes was analyzed using real-time RT-PCR. According to the
results, the FcS1GZL-1 strain could not only kill insect pests with high
pathogenicity but also inhibited phytopathogen growth in vitro.
Furthermore, the FcS1GZL-1 strain could repel insect pest feeding and
enhance plant resistance to phytopathogens through endophytic
customization following root irrigation, which upregulated 12 genes
related to the jasmonic acid, salicylic acid, ethylene, and
pathogen-related defense pathways in soybean roots. Herein, we present the
first documented case of F. citri naturally infecting insects, and its
dual role in controlling insect pests and phytopathogens, with promising
biocontrol applications.