Abstract:The entomopathogenic fungus conidia viability and sporulation may be affected by different environmental factors or by bio-pesticides and chemical products used to protect cultivated plants. In this research, we investigated the compatibility of Metarhizium anisopliae DEMI 001 isolates with three insecticides: fipronil, pyriproxyfen and hexaflumuron. The effect of fipronil, pyriproxyfen and hexaflumuron on sporulation, vegetative growth and conidial germination of the fungus was studied based on measuring the vegetative growth and sporulation. SDA medium was mixed with fipronil (10, 40 and 120 ppm), pyriproxyfen (10, 500 and 1 000 ppm), hexaflumuron (20, 50 and 120 ppm). SAD medium excluding insecticides was designated as blank. To determine the sporulation rate, spores was counted on surface area and vegetative growth was measured on the basis of colony diameter. The results showed that hexaflumuron at the concentration of 120 ppm reduced the vegetative growth to 0% showing the highest reduction effect compared to pyriproxyfen (24.59%) and fipronil (24.31%). All three insecticides reduced drastically the conidial germination at the highest concentrations (0-15%). Hexaflumuron treatment with 0% germination at all three concentrations and fipronil and pyriproxyfen with 32.36% and 9.7% germination at 200 ppm were not significantly different. Regarding the highest negative effect of hexaflumuron on germination at all three concentrations, this insecticide should not be applied together with the entomopathogenic fungus.

Sunn pest, Eurygaster integriceps, is a key pest of wheat and barley in Iran. At present, infested areas are treated with ground sprayers. A survey was conducted to evaluate the efficiency and calibration accuracy of ground hydraulic sprayers in Iran. The results showed that the motorized lance sprayer and manually operated sprayer were the most conventional sprayers, and fenitrothion EC 50% and deltamethrin EC 2.5% were the conventional insecticides against sunn pest in Kermanshah province. The mean efficacy percentage was 88% and 35% against nymphs and overwintered adults, respectively. In motorized lance sprayers, there were 5% and 90% overdosage of fenitrothion and deltamethrin, respectively; while, in manually carried sprayers, there were 5% and 25% overdosage of fenitrothion and deltamethrin, respectively. Applied dosages were 5-20% and 25-90% more than recommended dosages of fenitrothion and deltamethrin, respectively. Errors in effectiveness and applied dosage were higher in motorized lance sprayer than manually carried sprayers. Keywords: Eurygaster integriceps, insecticides, application, wheat, calibration.Wheat and barley are important crops in the Near East, Middle East, and South-Western Asian countries including Iran. They are attacked by several species of bugs including sunn pest, Eurygaster integriceps Put. (Heteroptera: Scutelleridae). Annually, more than 15 million hectares of cereal fields are damaged by sunn pest in the world. The pest has one generation per year with an obligatory diapause during the adult stage (Alexandrov, 1947;Radjabi, 2000). Sunn pest affects both quality and quantity of the yield. Yield loss may exceed 20-30% in barley and 50-100% in wheat. Adult bugs attack leaves and central shoots or spikes of wheat in early spring. Damaged parts become brown or white. When the damage takes place at the early growth stage of wheat, shoots die before spike formation, and the plant reacts by producing new shoots which finally produce spikes with few grains. High population of overwintered adults can considerably reduce yield (Javahery,