Abstract
The kudzu bug, Megacopta cribraria (F.), is an urban nuisance and significant agricultural pest. The median lethal concentrations of three strains of Beauveria bassiana (Balsamo), including the Mississippi Delta native strain (NI8) isolated from Lygus lineolaris (Palisot de Beauvois), the commercial strain BotaniGard® (GHA) (Victor, NY, USA), and the B. bassiana strain isolated from M. cribraria (KUDSC), were estimated on kudzu bug adults. A technique developed to evaluate B. bassiana against L. lineolaris was used. Younger adults (eight days after collection) were treated with NI8 and GHA and older adult (50 days after collection) were treated with NI8, GHA and KUDSC. Higher concentrations (n × 106, n × 107) of NI8 and GHA caused kudzu bug mortality two days after treatment in younger adults and similar concentrations of NI8, GHA, and KUDSC caused mortality one day after treatment in older adults. Lower concentrations (n × 104, n × 105) were not significantly different in mortality between strains. LS50 values of the KUDSC were significantly lower than NI8 and GHA values in older adults. This is the first available information on median lethal concentration of B. bassiana on kudzu bug adults bioassayed on artificial diet. It was determined that B. bassiana (KUDSC and NI8) are highly effective for young adults at very low doses (LC50 1.98–4.98 viable spores per mm2).
Highlights
The kudzu bug, Megacopta cribraria (F.) (Hemiptera: Plataspidae), is an urban nuisance and a significant agricultural pest
The main objectives of this research were to isolate and identify the entomopathogenic fungus from M. cribraria and estimate the lethal concentration and doses comparing its infectivity in the laboratory using Lygus artificial diet against two known pathogenic isolates, the Mississippi Delta strain NI8 known for its high virulence to Lygus lineolaris (Palisot de Beauvois) [16,17,18,19,20] and the commercial strain GHA [6,20,21,22]
This study resulted in a reliable bioassay system that determined the median lethal concentration and sporulation of B. bassiana against young and old adults of M. cribraria
Summary
The kudzu bug, Megacopta cribraria (F.) (Hemiptera: Plataspidae), is an urban nuisance and a significant agricultural pest. Native to Asia and the India subcontinent [1], M. cribraria was first discovered in the U.S in 2009 feeding on kudzu, Pueraria montana (Lour) Merr. It was subsequently found congregating in large numbers on the exteriors of nearby homes and vehicles in nine counties in northeastern Georgia [2]. During the following spring and summer, the insect was detected in eight counties in southern Maryland and the eastern Shore, as well as the District of Columbia [5]
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