The presence of an endophytic fungus, Acremonium coenophialum, in tall fescue (Festuca arundinacea) deterred aphid feeding by Rhopalosiphum padi and Schizaphis graminum. Both species of aphid were unable to survive when confined to endophyte-infected tall fescue plants. Feeding deterrents and toxic factors to R. padi and Oncopeltus fasciatus, large milkweed bug, were primarily associated with a...

Symbiotic mutualistic associations of plants with ectoand endomycorrhizal and endophytic fungi are very common in natural and agricultural ecosystems; these fungi improve nutrient acquisition and ⁄ or tolerance to biotic and abiotic stresses of their hosts (Smith & Gianinazzi-Pearson, 1988; Nehls et al., 2007; Schardl et al., 2007). A major feature of associations between the heterotrophic fung...

The host status of 15 commonly occurring pasture species for Helicotylenchus pseudorobustus was tested in a greenhouse trial. Only tall fescue, with and without Neotyphodium endophyte infection, was a good host (Pf/Pi = final/initial population > 1). Inoculation survival was tested in a second trial, which showed that only 10% of the H. pseudorobustus nematodes survived the first 7 days after i...