Abstract
Aphids are one of the major insect pests of greenhouses and field crops worldwide. Several species of entomopathogenic fungi (EPF), including Lecanicillium spp. Beauveria bassiana, Isaria fumosorosea and Metarhizium anisopliae, have been developed commercially to control aphid species. However, there are no commercial products based on EPF that have been registered in Iraq. This study, therefore, was conducted to evaluate the virulence of four isolates of EPF, including, B. bassiana, Lecanicillium lecanii, M. anisopliae and Chaetomium globosum to select the highly virulent ones against the greenhouse aphids. Although the isolate of L. lecanii had the highest virulence against all tested aphid species in the laboratory bioassay, Myzus persicae Sulz and Aphis gossypii Gloy were more susceptible than Aphis fabae and Macrosiphum euphorbiae to infection with L. lecanii. Mortality caused by L. lecanii 7 days post-treatment with 108 conidia ml−1 was 100%. Further experiments in the greenhouses showed that L. lecanii significantly reduced the density of both M. persicae and A. gossypii 5 days after fungal applications. This isolate shows a promise for development of an alternative control agent against M. persicae and A. gossypii in Iraq.
Highlights
Vegetable production in greenhouses is very common in Iraq, providing plentiful food and ornamental crops; this allows for a rapid spread of insect pests and microbial diseases
This confirms the findings of Vu et al (2007) who reported that the virulence of strains L. lecanii 41185 and 6541, which were originally isolated from aphid hosts, were significantly higher than those of the other tested fungi for both M. persicae and A. gossypii
The results of the present study indicated that efficacy of entomopathogenic fungi (EPF) depends on the tested isolate and on the target aphid species, where M
Summary
Vegetable production in greenhouses is very common in Iraq, providing plentiful food and ornamental crops; this allows for a rapid spread of insect pests and microbial diseases. The melon aphid (Aphis gossypii), the green peach aphid (Myzus persicae), the potato aphid (Macrosiphum euphorbiae) and the black bean aphid (Aphis fabae) are four of the most common and important aphid pest species of greenhouse crops in Iraq (Jasman et al 2016). All these aphid species are extremely polyphagous and. There are no commercial microbial pesticides based on EPF registered to control aphids in Iraq. Natural epizootics of aphids are usually caused by entomophthoralean fungi such as Mohammed et al Egyptian Journal of Biological Pest Control (2018) 28:71
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a callDisclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.
