The influence of pasture species and time of deposition of sheep dung on infestation by nematophagous fungi

Invasion of sheep dung by fungi which parasitise nematodes (nematophagous fungi) was investigated in a field trial in New Zealand. In January, March and May, sheep dung was placed on plots of the following pasture species: Agrostis capillaris, Bromus willdenowii, Cichorium intybus, Dactylis glomerat...

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Published in:Applied soil ecology : a section of Agriculture, ecosystems & environment ecosystems & environment, 1997, Vol.6 (2), p.181-186
Main Authors: Hay, F.S., Niezen, J.H., Ridley, G.S., Bateson, L., Miller, C., Robertson, H.
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Animal parasites
animal parasitic nematodes
Biological control
biological control agents
botanical composition
colonization
community ecology
Endoparasitic fungi
Nematode-trapping fungi
nematophagous fungi
pasture plants
pastures
population ecology
seasonal variation
sheep dung
soil fungi
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Summary:Invasion of sheep dung by fungi which parasitise nematodes (nematophagous fungi) was investigated in a field trial in New Zealand. In January, March and May, sheep dung was placed on plots of the following pasture species: Agrostis capillaris, Bromus willdenowii, Cichorium intybus, Dactylis glomerata, Festuca arundinacea, Holcus lanatus, Lolium perenne, Medicago sativa, Trifolium repens, and a mixture of L. perenne and T. repens. Subsamples of dung were retrieved at fortnightly intervals for up to 12 weeks and examined for the presence of nematophagous fungi. Nematophagous fungi were isolated from 52% of 730 dung samples recovered during the trial, with 47% of samples infested at 2 weeks after deposition. The most commonly isolated fungi (and their frequency of occurrence) were Harposporium leptospira (23%), Arthrobotrys oligospora (10%), Monacrosporium candidum (8%) and H. anguillulae (6%). Pasture species had no significant effect on the percentage of dung samples infested by nematophagous fungi at 2 weeks after deposition. Mean dung infestation was significantly higher at 2 weeks after deposition in May than in January, while mean dung infestation in March was intermediate between, and significantly different from that in May and January. Dung had disappeared from all plots by 8 weeks after deposition in May, but remained on most plots at 12 weeks after deposition in January and March.
ISSN:0929-1393
1873-0272
DOI:10.1016/S0929-1393(96)00147-3