Field Trial of Aqueous and Emulsion Preparations of Entomopathogenic Fungi Against the Asian Citrus Psyllid (Hemiptera: Liviidae) in a Lime Orchard in Mexico

Abstract

Liberibacter-caused Huanglongbing disease vectored by the Asian citrus psyllid, Diaphorina citri Kuwayama (Hemiptera: Liviidae), has spread to most citrus-growing areas worldwide. In Mexico, research efforts to manage the disease and to slow its spread have intensified since it was detected there in 2009. Integration of microbial control with other management practices should be investigated for D. citri and the disease (Meyer et al. 2008, J. Invertebr. Pathol. 99: 96–102). To that end, we assessed the impact of applications of entomopathogenic fungi on D. citri nymphs in a single test conducted in a commercial Persian lime (Citrus latifolia Tanaka) orchard in Veracruz, Mexico, in 2011. Three fungi were evaluated. Beauveria and Metarhizium isolates were isolated from soil with the insect-bait method using Tenebrio molitor L. larvae (Sanchez-Pena et al. 2011, J. Insect Sci. [BioOne Paper No. 1, 10 pg.]) in the citrus-growing region in Nuevo Leon, Mexico. Isaria fumosoroseaWize was isolated from D. citri collected in Gomez Farias, Tamaulipas (Casique-Valdez and Sanchez-Pena 2010, 58th Annual Meeting Southwestern Branch, Entomological Society of America, Cancun, Mexico). One isolate each of Beauveria sp. (B6C), I. fumosorosea (IF8B19), andMetarhizium sp. (M11) were selected for field tests based on (a) activity against D. citri nymphs in the laboratory and (b) stable and uniform production of conidia on autoclaved rice grains (Casique-Valdez 2010, MS Thesis, Universidad Autonoma Agraria Antonio