Abstract
The cotton aphid, Aphis gossypii Glover, 1877, is a polyphagous species and one of the most important pests of cucumber crops in Iran. In this study, virulence of three Beauveria bassiana (Bals.-Criv.) Vuill isolates, IRAN 108, IRAN 429C and LRC 137, as well as insecticidal activity of two essential oils extracted from Matricaria chamomilla L. and Cuminum cyminum L. were evaluated against adult stage of A. gossypii under laboratory conditions. The data for life table were analyzed using the age-stage, two-sex life table theory. Results showed that all isolates were pathogenic on aphid, but their virulence was varied in different isolates. The lowest calculated LC50 was belonged to IRAN 429C (3.9 × 104conidia ml-1). The lowest LT50 was obtained at concentration of 108 and 107 conidia ml-1 for IRAN 429C (2.9 and 3.55 days, respectively). M. chamomilla essential oil had the lowest LC50 and LT50 values (19 µl l-1 air and 11.4 h), respectively. Longevity and population growth parameters, including the intrinsic rate of increase (rm), gross reproduction rate (GRR), net reproductive rate (R0), generation time (T) and finite rate of population increase (λ), were affected negatively by both agents. According to the results obtained in this study, both entomopathogenic fungi and essential oils could be used as an alternative to chemical insecticides in aphid IPM programs.
Highlights
Aphids are considered as an important pest of agricultural products all around the world and due to their specific biological characteristics, including the multiplicity and interference of generations and type of nutrition, as well as their resistance to some common chemical pesticides
Dried parts of M. chamomilla plants except wooden stem and C. cyminum seeds were grounded into powder. 50 g of herbal powder was extracted with 600 ml of distilled water using a clevenger-type apparatus and hydro-distillation for 3 hours (Hassanpouraghdam et al, 2009)
The results showed that the essential oils of M. chamomilla and C. cyminum, had good aphicidal activity against the adults of cotton aphids after 24 h at very low concentrations
Summary
Aphids are considered as an important pest of agricultural products all around the world and due to their specific biological characteristics, including the multiplicity and interference of generations and type of nutrition, as well as their resistance to some common chemical pesticides. Aphis gossypii, which is commonly known as cotton or melon aphid, is one of the most important pests of the plants in the families Rutaceae, Malvaceae and Cucurbitaceae all around the world and is recorded from more than 100 plant families (Van emden & Harrington, 2017). It is a cosmopolitan and polyphagous species distributed in tropical, subtropical and temperate regions, which causes direct damage by feeding on phloem sap and disrupting the plant growth, and indirectly through virus transmission and honeydew production (Martin et al, 2003). Various methods such as host-plant resistance, cultural practices, biological control, chemical control and integrated management have been used (Lowery & Smirle, 2003; Van emden & Harrington, 2017)
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