First observation of the beetle Sericoderus lateralis consuming Cladosporium fulvum in a greenhouse tomato: potential for biological protection or risk to the crop?

Abstract

For the first time, the mycophagous beetle Sericoderus lateralis (Gyllenhal, 1827) was documented feeding on tomato leaf mold (Cladosporium fulvum Cooke, 1878) tissues. The phenomenon was observed during the years 2022 and 2023 in a hydroponic tomato green-house situated near the Czech-Polish border within the cadastre of Dolni Lutyne munici-pality in Czechia. Greenhouse and laboratory observations confirmed that adult and larvae feeding activity led to a reduction in tomato leaf mold lesions. In addition, there was a posi-tive correlation between tomato leaf mold disease progression and increased populations of S. lateralis in the tomato crop. Petri dish observations confirmed egg laying occurred on a diet of tomato leaf mold. Further research is warranted to discern whether S. lateralis is a potential biological control agent for tomato leaf mold or if it acts to facilitate the spread of the disease by acting as a spore vector.