Abstract
BackgroundThe pine processionary moth, Thaumetopoea wilkinsoni Tams, 1926 (Lepidoptera/Notodontidae) is one of the most harmful insects that destroys pine ecosystems by feeding on pine leaves at its larval stage. Because of its urticating setae, the insect also causes severe skin reactions to animals and humans. Instead of chemical control, eco-friendly biological control methods are preferred to combat this species.ResultsThe purpose of this study was to evaluate the efficacy of five different Beauveria bassiana Vuill, 1912 (Hypocreales/Cordycipitaceae) isolates (TR-SM-10, TR-SM-11, TR-SM-2, TR-SK-1 and TR-D-1) and one B. pseudobassiana Rehner & Humber (Hypocreales/Cordycipitaceae) isolate (TR-SM-1) against the fourth instar larvae of T. wilkinsoni under laboratory conditions. T. wilkinsoni larvae were collected from the Ondokuz Mayıs University Kurupelit Campus in Samsun, Turkey, in 2021, and the fourth instar larvae were used in the experiment. Two ml of spray of the six fungal isolates were applied to every ten larvae at each concentration (1 × 107 and 1 × 108 conidia ml−1). The experiment was carried out in five replicates per group, and the larvae were observed for 10 days. As a result, all isolates of B. bassiana caused 100% mortality at 1 × 108 conidia ml−1 concentration. B. pseudobassiana isolate also caused 100% mortality at both concentrations. At 1 × 107 conidia ml−1 concentration, the larvae treated with the B. pseudobassiana isolate (TR-SM-1) had the lowest LT50 (2.89 days) and LT90 values (4.79 days), while the larvae treated with TR-SM-10 isolate had the highest LT50 (5.65 days) and LT90 values (9.39 days). At 1 × 108 conidia ml−1 concentration, the larvae treated with TR-SK-1 isolate had the lowest LT50 (2.89 days) and LT90 values (4.79 days), while those treated with TR-SM-10 isolate had the highest LT50 (3.95 days) and LT90 values (8.15 days).ConclusionIt has been recommended that the five different isolates of B. bassiana and B. pseudobassiana isolates were virulent to T. wilkinsoni larvae and can be used for biological control of T. wilkinsoni.
Highlights
The pine processionary moth, Thaumetopoea wilkinsoni Tams, 1926 (Lepidoptera/Notodontidae) is one of the most harmful insects that destroys pine ecosystems by feeding on pine leaves at its larval stage
Beauveria isolates were applied to the fourth instar larvae of T. wilkinsoni at different concentrations, and the LT50 and LT90 values for each isolates differed (Tables 1 and 2)
The efficacy of five different B. bassiana and one B. pseudobassiana isolates against the fourth instar larvae of T. wilkinsoni was investigated
Summary
The pine processionary moth, Thaumetopoea wilkinsoni Tams, 1926 (Lepidoptera/Notodontidae) is one of the most harmful insects that destroys pine ecosystems by feeding on pine leaves at its larval stage. Because of its urticating setae, the insect causes severe skin reactions to animals and humans. The needles of the Pinus genus contain essential oils. Because of their various pharmacological properties, such as anti-ageing and antiinflammatory effects, the needles are widely used in folk medicine and as food additives. Insect pests lead to the biological factors that threaten the continuity of pine forests in Turkey. The pine processionary moth, Thaumetopoea wilkinsoni Tams, 1926 (Lepidoptera/Notodontidae) is one of the most harmful needle-eating insects in pine ecosystems (Altunışık and Avcı 2016). The larvae of the insect have urticating setae that cause skin reactions in both animals and humans (Rodriguez-Mahillo et al 2012)
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