Agricultural and Forest Entomology (2005) 7, 21-30

S. Ekesi, P.A. Shah, S.J. Clark and J.K. Pell (2005)
Conservation biological control with the fungal pathogen Pandora neoaphidis: implications of aphid species, host plant and predator foraging
Agricultural and Forest Entomology 7 (1), 21-30
Abstract: 1 - Pandora neoaphidis is an important aphid-specific fungal pathogen in temperate agroecosystems. Laboratory studies were carried out to obtain baseline data on factors that may affect its performance in conservation biological control.
2 - Virulence of P. neoaphidis was assessed in dose-response bioassays against Microlophium carnosum on nettle, Uroleucon jaceae on knapweed, Acyrthosiphon pisum on bean and bird's-foot trefoil Lotus corniculatus, and Metopolophium dirhodum on barley and Yorkshire fog Holcus lanatus. The most susceptible aphid was A. pisum feeding on bean with an LD₅₀ of 19 conidia per mm², whereas U. jaceae had an LD₅₀ of 104 conidia per mm² and was least susceptible to infection.
3 - The presence of foraging adult ladybirds, Coccinella septempunctata, increased transmission of P. neoaphidis from infected cadavers to apterae of M. carnosum, U. jacea, and A. pisum by 7-30% at the largest cadaver density tested. Adult coccinellids that had previously foraged on nettle, knapweed, bean or bird's-foot trefoil transfered conidia to A. pisum on bean and induced infections in 2-13% of aphids.
4 Conidia of P. neoaphidis dispersed passively in the airstream from sporulating M. carnosum cadavers on nettle plants and initiated infections in A. pisum colonies feeding on bean (4-33%) or M. dirhodum on barley (3%) located within 1.0 m of the nettle source.
5 The results suggest that M. carnosum and A. pisum may be more useful as reservoirs for P. neoaphidis in noncrop and crop areas than U. jaceae or M. dirhodum, and infection and dispersal between habitats could be enhanced in the presence of coccinellids.
(The abstract is excluded from the Creative Commons licence and has been copied with permission by the publisher.)
Link to article at publishers website
Database assignments for author(s): Sunday Ekesi

Research topic(s) for pests/diseases/weeds:
biocontrol - natural enemies
Research topic(s) for beneficials or antagonists:
environment/habitat manipulation

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Pest and/or beneficial records:

Beneficial	Pest/Disease/Weed	Crop/Product	Country	Quarant.
	Acyrthosiphon pisum	Birdsfoot trefoil (Lotus corniculatus)
	Acyrthosiphon pisum	Beans (Phaseolus)
	Metopolophium dirhodum	Barley (Hordeum vulgare)
Coccinella septempunctata (predator)
Pandora neoaphidis (entomopathogen)	Acyrthosiphon pisum	Birdsfoot trefoil (Lotus corniculatus)
Pandora neoaphidis (entomopathogen)	Acyrthosiphon pisum	Beans (Phaseolus)
Pandora neoaphidis (entomopathogen)	Metopolophium dirhodum
Microlophium carnosum (weed bioagent)