Laboratory tests demonstrated that ‘Repell,’ a cultivar of perennial ryegrass, Lolium perenne L., infected with the fungal endophyte, Acremonium lolii Latch, Christensen & Samuels, exhibited a high level of insect resistance to the hairy chinch bug, Blissus leucopterus hirtus Montandon. First and third instars and adult hairy chinch bugs reared on endophyte-infected plants had significantly lower survival. On endophyte-free ‘Repell,’ nymphs and adults resided primarily on the leaf sheath. In contrast, on endophyte-infected ‘Repell,’ nymphs and adults either avoided the plant or resided only on the endophyte-free leaf blade. Nymphs were able to detect the presence of the endophyte in a choice test and consistently selected endophyte-free ‘Repell.’ These results support field observations of resistance in association with endophyte-infected ryegrass and suggest that the incorporation of endophytes into ryegrass will lead to significant reductions in hairy chinch bug infestations.
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Mathias et al. (1990) studied this question.