Potential of Entomopathogenic Fungi as Biological Control Agents of Whitefly (Bemisia tabaci biotype B) (Genn.) (Hemiptera: Aleyrodidae)

Abstract

The efficiency of isolates from entomopathogenic fungus Beauveria bassiana, Lecanicillium muscarium and Metarhizium rileyi in the control of eggs and third-instar nymphs of whitefly, Bemisia tabaci biotype B, was evaluated by pathogenicity and virulence tests, under laboratory conditions. For the pathogenicity tests, five leaflets of bean (Phaseolus vulgaris) plants containing 20 nymphs or 20 eggs of B. tabaci biotype B were used. The leaflets were immersed in suspension containing a concentration of 108 conidia/ml of each fungus isolate. Nymph mortality and egg viability were evaluated after seven days. The isolates that caused nymph mortality and egg viability above 80% were submitted to virulence tests, in order to estimate the lethal concentration (LC50) of each isolate. All isolates were pathogenic to eggs and third-instar nymphs of B. tabaci Biotype B. JAB07 of B. bassiana and LCMAP3790 of L. muscarium isolates presented the best results, with nymphs mortality of 96.68 ± 2.25% and 97.74 ± 1.56%, respectively. Additionally, JAB07 was the most virulent isolate, both for eggs and third-instar nymphs, with LC50 estimated of 0.012 and 0.006 × 103 conidia/ml, respectively. We suggest, future field trials are required in order to analyze the real efficiency of this isolate in the control of eggs and nymphs of B. tabaci biotype B in field conditions.