Environmental Entomology (1982) 11, 901-904

W.L. Tedders, D.J. Weaver, E.J. Wehunt and C.R. Gentry (1982)
Bioassay of Metarhizium anisopliae, Beauveria bassiana, and Neoaplectana carpocapsae against larvae of the plum curculio, Conotrachelus nenuphar (Herbst) (Coleoptera: Curculionidae)
Environmental Entomology 11 (4), 901-904
Abstract: Plum curculio larvae, Conotrachelus nenuphar (Herbst), were treated in the laboratory with isolates of the fungi Metarhizium anisopliae (Metschnikoff) Sorokin and Beauveria bassiana (Balsamo) Vuillemin, and the nematode Neoaplectana carpocapsae Weiser. Both isolates of the fungi caused high levels of mortality in curculio larvae. The nematodes were ineffective under the conditions tested. Soil treated with comminuted suspensions of shake or agar plate cultures of isolates of M. anisopliae from South Carolina and California and an isolate of B.bassiana from South Carolina indicated little difference between culture preparation methods but greater pathogenicity by M. anisopliae from South Carolina. Metarhizium anisopliae was more effective than B. bassiana in soil treated 3 days previous to larval introduction. Maximum effects by the fungi were not always apparent until 14 days after treatment. Handling larvae during examination at 6 days did not cause additional significant mortality 8 days later.
(The abstract is excluded from the Creative Commons licence and has been copied with permission by the publisher.)

Research topic(s) for pests/diseases/weeds:
biocontrol - natural enemies
Research topic(s) for beneficials or antagonists:
evaluation - screening - selection

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Pest and/or beneficial records:

Beneficial	Pest/Disease/Weed	Crop/Product	Country	Quarant.
	Conotrachelus nenuphar
Beauveria bassiana (entomopathogen)	Conotrachelus nenuphar		U.S.A. (SE)
Steinernema carpocapsae/Xenorhabdus nematophila (entomopathogen)	Conotrachelus nenuphar
Metarhizium anisopliae (entomopathogen)	Conotrachelus nenuphar		U.S.A. (SE)