Application of Entomopathogenic Fungus Beauveria Bassiana on Shallot Plants Through Soaking the Bulbs and its Effect on the on the Growth of Spodoptera Exigua Larvae

Abstract

Spodoptera exigua Hubner is a major pest of shallots. This pest attack can cause a decrease in shallot production. The use of entomopathogenic fungus Beauveria bassiana is an environmentally friendly pest control alternative. This study aims to study the development of S. exigua larvae in shallot plants applied with B. bassiana fungus. This study was arranged in a Completely Randomized Design (CRD) with 6 treatments and 5 replications. Five isolates of B. bassiana (BbWS, BbJG, PD114, TD312, PB211) were used in this study. The concentration of B. bassiana suspension used was 108 conidia/ml. B. bassiana was applied to shallots by soaking the bulbs for 15 minutes. The results showed that the mortality of larvae feeding on plants applied with B. bassiana reached 100%. The application of B. bassiana also extended the larval period, reducing the percentage of pupae and adults formed. BbWS and TD312 were isolated and were better at inhibiting the growth of S. exigua larvae