Enhanced fungicide resistance in following ionizing radiation-induced mutagenesis

Shinohara, Shinobu*; Fitriana, Y.*; Sato, Katsuya; Narumi, Issey*; Saito, Tsutomu*

The application of entomopathogenic fungi such as to combat insect pests on plants is complicated by their sensitivity to commonly used fungicides. In this study, mutations with enhanced resistance to the fungicide benomyl were induced by irradiation using either ion beams, rays, or a combination of the two. When grown on agar containing benomyl, mycelial growth was observed for five of the six mutant isolates at benomyl concentrations that were more than 2000-fold those observed for the wild-type isolate. Ion beams and rays are thus potentially useful tools for inducing beneficial fungal mutations and thereby improving the potential for application of entomopathogenic fungi as microbial control agents.