@ARTICLE{Psota_Václav_First_2024,
 author={Psota, Václav and Bezděk, Jan and Harvey, Liam},
 volume={vol. 64},
 number={No 1},
 journal={Journal of Plant Protection Research},
 pages={77-81},
 howpublished={online},
 year={2024},
 publisher={Committee of Plant Protection PAS},
 publisher={Institute of Plant Protection – National Research Institute},
 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 greenhouse situated near the Czech-Polish border within the cadastre of Dolní Lutyně municipality 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 positive 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.},
 type={Article},
 title={First observation of the beetle Sericoderus lateralis consuming Cladosporium fulvum in a greenhouse tomato: potential for biological protection or risk to the crop?},
 URL={http://czasopisma.pan.pl/Content/130448/PDF/RC_01_JPPR_64_1_1845_Psota.pdf},
 doi={10.24425/jppr.2024.149151},
 keywords={biological control, mycophagy, spore vector, tomato leaf mold},
}