A new frontier in mycophagy: Forficula auricularia on Podosphaera fusca
Powdery mildew, caused by the fungus Podosphaera fusca, poses a significant threat to global cucurbit cultivation. This report presents a noteworthy observation with potential implications for managing the prevalent biotic stress in cucumber crops. Our research unveils the active feeding behaviour of the earwig species Forficula auricularia on P. fusca, highlighting its potential as a promising natural biocontrol agent. Molecular identification techniques, resulting in accession number OQ102947, unequivocally confirmed the species as F. auricularia. While this discovery is promising, further studies are crucial to evaluate the biological control efficiency of F. auricularia against P. fusca in cucurbit crops.
Authors
- Niraj Guleria (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0009-0004-6032-0898)
- Puneet Kaur (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-1424-3519)
- Mudagadde G. Deeksha (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-0628-5900)
- S Shailja
- D Lham (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-7626-6708)
- S Nitika (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-6110-9999)
- S Suman (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-7638-2469)
- T Anjana
- P Neha (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0009-0006-3668-4389)
Institutions
- Birsa Agricultural University (IN)
- Chaudhary Sarwan Kumar Himachal Pradesh Krishi Vishvavidyalaya (IN)
- Institute of Himalayan Bioresource Technology (IN)
- Directorate of Weed Research (IN)
- Punjab Agricultural University (IN)
Publication Details
- Journal
- Plant Science Today
- Published
- 2026-04-20
- DOI
- https://doi.org/10.14719/pst.12582
- Primary Topic
- Powdery Mildew Fungal Diseases
- Type
- article
- Field-Weighted Citation Impact
- 0.00