Background: Considering the disadvantages of chemical insecticides, we aimed to evaluate Vorticella parasites for control of mosquito larvae of Anopheles stephensi and Aedes aegypti at different larval stages. Methods: Vorticella sp infected mosquito larvae were crushed in the 0. 85% saline and homogenized well to get Vorticella in suspension. The effects of Vorticella sp infections on larval development were investigated by inoculating protozoan on different larval instars of An. stephensi and Ae. aegypti and observed under light microscope. Lethal time of the Vorticella infected larvae at different stages was calculated. Results: First and 2nd larval instars of both An. stephensi and Ae. aegypti did not show signs of infection by Vorticella sp., whereas 3rd instars of An. stephensi showed more Vorticella infection than those of Ae. aegypti. However, 4th larval instars of both mosquitoes were heavily infected with Vorticella parasite which was responsible for sluggish movements of larvae and eventually death. Moreover, parasites (Vorticella spp) were responsible for more than 90% reduction in adult emergence for both infected An. stephensi and Ae. aegypti. Conclusion: This study provides insights for mosquito larvicidal action of surface parasite Vorticella on different larval stages of An. stephensi and Ae. Aegypti. It could be suggested as a potential candidate in mosquito biocontrol programs.

Plant growth which promotes rhizobacteria (PGPR) has a potential role in controlling root-knot disease. To Strawberry anthracnose disease, caused by Colletotrichum nymphaeae is a major limiting factor in strawberry production in Kurdistan province of Iran. In this research, endophytic fungi were isolated from stem and crown organs of strawberry and their antifungal activity against C. nymphaeae was tested. The selected isolates were identified as Penicillium hordei and Penicillium polonicum based on morphology and molecular characteristics. Antagonistic effects of selected isolates were evaluated against C. nymphaeae, through dual culture, volatile and non-volatile compounds production mechanisms in in vitro and greenhouse conditions. In volatile compounds test, two isolates of P. hordei and P. polonicum were able to reduce C. nymphaeae growth (34. 05 and 42. 36%) compared with control. In addition, isolates of P. hordei and P. polonicum reduced the strawberry anthracnose disease severity significantly in greenhouse conditions (58. 9 to 61. 4%) compared to the control. According to the results both in vitro and greenhouse experiments, both isolates reduced the growth of pathogen. Therefore, the results of this research showed that it may be possible to manage strawberry anthracnose disease effectively by using Penicillium species as biocontrol fungus. To our best knowledge, this is the first research related to the effects of Penicillium species on strawberry anthracnose.