Effects of Collembola on plant-pathogenic fungus interactions in simple experimental systems

Take-all and brown foot rot, caused respectively by Gaeumannomyces graminis var, tritici and Fusarium culmorum, are two important components of the fo ot and root fungal disease complex of winter cereals world-wide. These fung i persist in soil and in crop debris in the same layer of agricultural soil as Collembola, a well represented taxon of soil animals. Previous in vitro tests showed that these fungi grown on agarised medium were readily consum ed by springtails. In a simplified experimental system with wheat plants an d the pathogenic fungi grown on millet and wheat kernels, the severity of d isease was significantly reduced by collembolan feeding activity.