Abstract
In recent investigations, Beauveria bassiana has been reported to be pathogenic to insect, endophytically colonize cabbage plants and may, therefore, be an alternative to chemical control of the diamondback moth, Plutella xylostella. In this study, the comparative efficacy of endophytic and foliar application of B. bassiana was assessed on different larval instars of P. xylostella. Cabbage plants were inoculated with B. bassiana conidia using seed coating and root soaking methods. Six weeks after plant endophytic inoculation, larval instars 2, 3 and 4 of P. xylostella were released on endophytic plant leaves without fungal spraying, on non-endophytic leaves sprayed immediately with fungal formulation and on untreated control leaves. Our results indicate that the average mortality rates of larval instars 2, 3 and 4 were significantly higher (P < 0.0001) on plants colonized by the endophyte than non-inoculated, untreated control plant. Similarly, significant differences were obtained between the foliar spraying of the fungus (corrected mortalities ≥ 96.72%) and the endophytic applications (corrected mortalities ≤ 57.61 %). In endophytic treatments, larval mortality rates varied with larval age. Further investigations are needed to elucidate the cellular and molecular mechanisms of B. bassiana endophytism in cabbage.Keywords: Fungal endophyte, foliar application, cabbage plant, Plutella xylostella, larval mortality, cadaver sporulation.
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
More From: International Journal of Biological and Chemical Sciences
Disclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.