Abstract
The compound negative impact of insect pests attacking agricultural ecosystems includes (i) direct yield losses from damaged crops, (ii) the economic cost of the attempt to prevent these losses and (iii) the negative short- and long-term hazard effects of chemical pesticides on human and environmental health. Entomopathogenic fungi (EMPF) are a group of microorganisms that represent the natural enemies of a number of crop pests, presenting an opportunity to harness their evolutionary fine-tuned relationship with their insect hosts as biocontrol agents in integrated pest management programs. The aim of this study was to establish an indigenous EMPF collection via the Galleria mellonella (greater wax moth) entrapment method from the soils of Nile Delta, Egypt. Obtained insect associated fungal isolates were bio-assayed for pathogenicity against the serious pest Spodoptera litura and Tenebrio molitor, and the seven outperforming isolates were selected for molecular identification and thermotolerance assay. Based on ITS sequence analysis and phylogeny, selected isolates were identified as Beauveria bassiana (four isolates), Metarhizium anisopliae (two isolates) and one isolate of Cordyceps javanica. The obtained results demonstrated (i) the efficacy of using insect baiting coupled with molecular identification and pathogenicity screening to isolate EMPF to control insect pests, and (ii) the availability of indigenous virulent EMPF in Nile Delta’s soil, which can be exploited for the development of sustainable crop protection strategies.
Highlights
The current pace of increase in world population, combined with limited—and, in many cases, declining—agricultural resources represent a major global challenge
The obtained results demonstrated (i) the efficacy of using insect baiting coupled with molecular identification and pathogenicity screening to isolate entomopathogenic fungi (EMPF) to control insect pests, and (ii) the availability of indigenous virulent EMPF in Nile Delta’s soil, which can be exploited for the development of sustainable crop protection strategies
Using beneficial pathogens and insects have led to many negative side effects on human health and envimicroorganisms as biocontrol agents (BCAs) as an effective and ecofriendly alternative to ronmental biodiversity, including soil microorganisms [36]
Summary
The current pace of increase in world population, combined with limited—and, in many cases, declining—agricultural resources represent a major global challenge. New multi-faceted sustainable agricultural strategies are required to meet the increasing demand for crop production [1]. Several factors influence the extent of crop losses from insect attacks such as environmental conditions, control strategy, plant resistance, alertness and the socioeconomic status of farmers [2]. Based on limited available data, it was suggested that between 18–20% of annual crop production at a value of more than US $470 billion is lost due to arthropod attacks [3]. Such catastrophic crop losses provided a golden opportunity for the insecticide industry to distribute and encourage using their chemical products promising to deliver the desired protection. Increasing awareness and interest in organic and sustainable agriculture in the last few decades, and the ability of entomopathogenic fungi (EMPF) to kill insects, have attracted the attention of
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