Horizontal transmission of Metarhizium anisopliae between Spoladea recurvalis (Lepidoptera: Crambidae) adults and compatibility of the fungus with the attractant phenylacetaldehyde

Entomopathogenic fungus isolates for adult Tuta absoluta (Lepidoptera: Gelechiidae) management and their compatibility with Tuta pheromone

“…This finding highlights the potential for the use of entomopathogens in an autodissemination approach for management of T. absoluta . Horizontal transmission of fungal conidia from treated to healthy individuals has also been demonstrated in other lepidopterans, such as the beet webworm, Spoladea recurvalis (Lepidoptera: Crambidae) (Opisa et al., 2019), the stem borer, Busseola fusca (Fuller) (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae) (Maniania et al., 2011), the false codling moth, T. leucotreta (Mkiga et al., 2020) and the diamondback moth, Plutella xylostella (L.) (Lepidoptera: Plutellidae) (Furlong & Pell, 2001). This horizontal transmission can occur through direct contamination by passive transfer from inoculated adults, indirect contamination by conidia deposited on the host crop by inoculated/infected adults and secondary transmission of conidia from the sporulating mycosed cadavers of diseased individuals (Dimbi, Maniania, & Ekesi, 2013; Furlong & Pell, 2001).…”

“…Dry conidia (2–3 g) of each of the three most potent isolates (ICIPE 18, ICIPE 20 and ICIPE 665) were impregnated into velvet cloth in Delta traps and exposed to T. absoluta pheromone in field cages for four weeks. For control treatment, dry conidia of the most potent M. anisopliae isolates were exposed in field cages without the Tuta pheromone for four weeks (Opisa, Du Plessis, Akutse, Fiaboe, & Ekesi, 2019). After every week, and for each treatment including the control, spores were scrapped from the velvet cloth and tested for germination/viability at 3 × 10 6 conidia/ml where 100 µl of the fungal suspension was spread plated on SDA plates for 18 hr.…”

“…After every week, and for each treatment including the control, spores were scrapped from the velvet cloth and tested for germination/viability at 3 × 10 6 conidia/ml where 100 µl of the fungal suspension was spread plated on SDA plates for 18 hr. The conidia suspensions were prepared as described above (subsection 2.2) (Opisa et al., 2019). Evaluation of conidia germination/viability on SDA was done after 18 hr as described above (Goettel & Inglis, 1997).…”

“…This finding highlights the potential for the use of entomopathogens in an autodissemination approach for management of T. absoluta. Horizontal transmission of fungal conidia from treated to healthy individuals has also been demonstrated in other lepidopterans, such as the beet webworm, Spoladea recurvalis (Lepidoptera: Crambidae)(Opisa et al, 2019), the stem borer, Busseola fusca (Fuller) (Lepidoptera:…”

Biopesticide Research and Product Development in Africa for Sustainable Agriculture and Food Security – Experiences From the International Centre of Insect Physiology and Ecology (icipe)

“…Several arthropod pathogens are being developed into biopesticides against plant and animal pests, and disease vectors ( Table 3). The majority of arthropod pathogenic strains belong to M. anisopliae, and include M. anisopliae strain ICIPE 18 (against T. absoluta, Maruca vitrata, C. partellus and B. fusca) (Maniania, 1993), M. anisopliae strain ICIPE 20 (against T. absoluta and S. frugiperda and the pea leafminer Liriomyza huidobrensis) (Migiro et al, 2010;Mohamed et al, 2017;Akutse et al, 2019a), M. anisopliae strains ICIPE 40, ICIPE 41, ICIPE 315 and ICIPE 655 (against S. frugiperda) (Akutse et al, 2019a), M. anisopliae strain ICIPE 30 (against the amaranth leaf webber Spoladea recurvalis (Opisa et al, 2018(Opisa et al, , 2019; the stemborers C. partellus and B. fusca (Maniania, 1993); the mosquitoes A. gambiae and A. aegypti; the tsetse flies G. morsitans morsitans, G. fuscipes fuscipes and G. pallidipes; and the sand flies Phlebotomus martini and P. duboscqi) (Ngumbi et al, 2011;Ngure et al, 2015); and M. anisopliae strain ICIPE 51 (against the termite Macrotermes michaelseni) (Mburu et al, 2009(Mburu et al, , 2013. In addition, strains that already have been commercialized are being tested against others pests: M. anisopliae strains ICIPE 7 and ICIPE 78 against S. frugiperda (Akutse et al, 2019a); and M. anisopliae strain ICIPE 69 against T. leucotreta (Mkiga et al, 2020) and M. vitrata (Tumuhaise et al, 2015(Tumuhaise et al, , 2018.…”