Neotropical Entomology (2018) 47, 131-138

K.H. Ibarra-Cortés, A W Guzmán-Franco, H. González-Hernández, L.D. Ortega-Arenas, J.A. Villanueva-Jiménez and A. Robles-Bermúdez (2018)
Susceptibility of Diaphorina citri (Hemiptera: Liviidae) and its parasitoid Tamarixia radiata (Hymenoptera: Eulophidae) to entomopathogenic fungi under laboratory conditions
Neotropical Entomology 47 (1), 131-138
Abstract: Diaphorina citri (Kuwayama) is a global pest of citrus that transmits the bacteria associated with the disease, Huanglongbing. Entomopathogenic fungi and the parasitoid Tamarixia radiata (Waterston) are important biological control agents of this pest and likely to interact in D. citri populations. As a basis for interaction studies, we determined the susceptibility of nymphs and adults of D. citri and adults of the parasitoid T. radiata to six fungal isolates from the species Beauveria bassiana s.l. (Bals.-Criv.) Vuill. (isolates B1 and B3), Metarhizium anisopliae s.s. (Metsch.) (Ma129 and Ma65) and Isaria fumosorosea Wize (I2 and Pae). We conducted experiments evaluating infection levels in all three insect groups following inoculation with a series of conidial concentrations (1 × 10⁴–1 × 10⁸ conidia mL^-1). Results showed that D. citri nymphs and T. radiata were more susceptible to fungal isolates than D. citri adults. Overall, B. bassiana and M. anisopliae isolates caused the greatest infection compared with I. fumosorosea isolates in all three groups of insects. Isolates B1 (B. bassiana) and Ma129 (M. anisopliae) infected a greater proportion of adults and nymphs of D. citri, respectively. Both isolates of B. bassiana caused greater infection in T. radiata compared with isolates of the other fungal species. We propose that isolates B1 and Ma129 are the strongest candidates for control of D. citri. Our results represent the first report of entomopathogenic fungi infecting T. radiata, and the basis for future studies to design a biological control programme that uses both agents more efficiently against D. citri populations.
(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): Ariel W. Guzmán-Franco, Laura D. Ortega-Arenas, Juan A. Villanueva-Jimenez

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.
	Diaphorina citri
Beauveria bassiana (entomopathogen)	Diaphorina citri
Cordyceps fumosorosea (entomopathogen)	Diaphorina citri
Metarhizium anisopliae (entomopathogen)	Diaphorina citri
Tamarixia radiata (parasitoid)	Diaphorina citri