Entomopathogenic fungi Beauveria species universally confer tomato resistance to Botrytis cinerea after endophytic colonization

Beauveria spp. are entomopathogenic fungi (EPF) used as biological pesticides worldwide, especially the representative species B. bassiana and B. brongniartii. Currently, B. bassiana has attracted increasing attention due to its ability to colonize plants endophytically, as well as its potential to promote plant growth and enhance disease resistance after colonization. However, the other Beauveria species are leaving a gap in understanding the ecological and functional diversity. This study aimed to address this gap by investigating the endophytic traits of different Beauveria species including B. bassiana (as a reference), B. brongniartii, B. aranearum, B. amorpha, and B. velata in tomato (Solanum lycopersicum L.), and evaluating their effects on tomato growth and resistance against Botrytis cinerea, the causal agent of gray mold that caused critical loss of yield and quality of various crops.

白僵菌属（Beauveria）物种是一类在全球范围内被用作生物农药的昆虫病原真菌（entomopathogenic fungi, EPF），其中球孢白僵菌（B. bassiana）与布氏白僵菌（B. brongniartii）为该属的典型代表物种。当前，球孢白僵菌因可在植物体内内生定殖，且定殖后具备促进植物生长、增强抗病性的潜力，受到学界越来越多的关注。然而，学界对白僵菌属其余物种的生态与功能多样性的认知仍存在空白。本研究旨在填补这一认知空白，以番茄（Solanum lycopersicum L.）为研究对象，探究包括球孢白僵菌（作为对照菌株）、布氏白僵菌、蛛形白僵菌（B. aranearum）、无柄白僵菌（B. amorpha）以及韦勒白僵菌（B. velata）在内的不同白僵菌属物种的内生定殖特性，并评估其对番茄生长以及抗灰葡萄孢菌（Botrytis cinerea，灰霉病病原菌，该病原菌可造成多种作物产量与品质的严重损失）的作用效果。