Evaluation of the Entomopathogenic Fungi Beauveria bassiana, Metarhizium anisopliae, and Isaria fumosorosea for Control of Sitophilus oryzae

Abstract

The entomopathogenic fungi Beauveria bassiana, Metarhizium anisopliae, and Isaria fumosorosea were tested against the stored-grain pest Sitophilus oryzae. The fungi were isolated from the soil (from three locations in Attica, Greece: B. bassiana from Tatoion, M. anisopliae from Marathon, and I. fumosorosea from Aghios Stefanos) using larvae of Galleria mellonella as bait. Suspensions of 2.11 × 10(7) and 2.11 × 10(8), 1.77 × 10(7) and 1.77 × 10(8), and 1.81 × 10(7) and 1.81 × 10(8) conidia per ml of B. bassiana, M. anisopliae, and I. fumosorosea, respectively, were applied by three treatments: (i) sprayed on food and set in petri dishes with adults of S. oryzae, (ii) sprayed on adults of S. oryzae and set in petri dishes without food, and (iii) sprayed on adults of S. oryzae and set in petri dishes with food. The observed mortality of S. oryzae adults during the overall exposure period for the lowest, as well as for the highest, concentrations of B. bassiana, M. anisopliae, and I. fumosorosea ranged from 0 to 100%. Concentration was, in most of the cases tested, a critical parameter that determined the "speed of kill" of the exposed insect species for B. bassiana and M. anisopliae. Conversely, concentration was not that critical for I. fumosorosea, and survival was high in some of the combinations tested, even after 14 days of exposure. Both in the highest and the lowest concentrations of fungi, the mortality of S. oryzae adults was higher when the fungi were applied on adults than when they were applied on food. Higher mortality was observed when food was absent than when food was present, in most of the cases tested. The high efficacy levels recorded in the current study indicate that the tested fungi could be effective biocontrol agents against S. oryzae.

Influence of Temperature and Relative Humidity on the Insecticidal Efficacy of Metarhizium anisopliae against Larvae of Ephestia kuehniella (Lepidoptera: Pyralidae) on Wheat

“…Conidial application in the form of water suspension is commonly used in studies that evaluate the effectiveness of entomopathogenic fungi as grain protectants (Kavallieratos et al 2014). Different trays were used for each spraying.…”

Efficacy of two species of entomopathogenic fungi against the stored-grain pest, Sitophilus granarius L. (Curculionidae: Coleoptera), via oral ingestion

“…For examples, the yellow meal worm, Tenebrio molitor L. (Batta et al 2010); confused flour beetle, Tribolium confusum Jacquelin du Val. ; corn weevil, Sitophilus zeamais Motschulsky and lesser grain borer, Rhyzopertha dominica Fabricius (Barra et al 2013); rice weevil, Sitophilus oryzae L. (Kavallieratos et al 2014) and rice meal moth, Corcyra cephalonica Stainton (Kaur et al 2014). The mode of action of these fungi is through germination of conidia that adheres to the outer surface of target insect cuticle producing germ tube that can penetrate the cuticle towards the insect hemocoel.…”

A Distinctive Pattern ofBeauveria bassiana-biotransformed Ginsenoside Products Triggers Mitochondria/FasL-mediated Apoptosis in Colon Cancer Cells

“…B . bassiana , a teleomorph of Cordyceps bassiana , grows in soils and is considered a safe insecticide because of its restricted action in insect hosts, not humans (Kavallieratos et al ., ). B .…”

“…Silkworm (Bombyx mori) infected by Beauveria bassiana is known in Asian medicine to dispel flatulence and phlegm and relieve spasms (Ashida and Ohnishi, 1967). B. bassiana, a teleomorph of Cordyceps bassiana, grows in soils and is considered a safe insecticide because of its restricted action in insect hosts, not humans (Kavallieratos et al, 2014). B. bassiana is a highly efficient producer of mammalian steroids and produces large amounts of sugar-utilizing enzymes Xia et al, 2013).…”