Pest Management Science (2022) 78, 126-133

Luis Carlos Martínez, Angelica Plata-Rueda, Augusto Ramírez and José Eduardo Serrão (2022)
Susceptibility of Demotispa neivai (Coleoptera: Chrysomelidae) to Beauveria bassiana and Metarhizium anisopliae entomopathogenic fungal isolates
Pest Management Science 78 (1), 126-133
Abstract:
BACKGROUND
The potential of Beauveria bassiana and Metarhizium anisopliae isolates obtained from naturally infected oil palm pests was evaluated to control Demotispa neivai as an alternative for organophosphate insecticide use in oil palm crops in Latin America. Two B. bassiana (Bb-0018 and Bb-0025) and two M. anisopliae (Ma-0002 and Ma-0003) isolates were tested against D. neivai adults for hydrophobicity, virulence, survival, adhesion to host cuticle, and mortality in semi-field conditions.
RESULTS
Concentration–mortality bioassays demonstrate that isolates had lethal effect on D. neivai adults with Bb-0025 [median lethal concentration (LC₅₀) = 3.45 × 10⁷ conidia mL^-1] and Bb-0018 (LC₅₀ = 3.75 × 10⁷ conidia mL^-1) being the most effective followed by Ma-0003 (LC₅₀ = 3.38 × 10⁸ conidia mL^-1) and Ma-0002 (5.33 × 10⁸ conidia mL^-1). Adult survival was 99% without exposure to fungal isolates, decreasing to 21.65% in insects exposed to Ma-0002, 19.41% with Ma-0003, 20.13% with Bb-0018, and 0.17% with Bb-0025. Mortality of D. neivai adults caused by the entomopathogenic fungal isolates was similar in both laboratory and semi-field conditions. Also, vegetative growth of the entomopathogenic fungal isolates was found in infected D. neivai adults in the field.
CONCLUSION
Our data suggest that the tested entomopathogenic fungal isolates are effective against D. neivai with potential to be used as biological control agents contributing to the decrease of the use of chemical insecticides to control this oil palm pest.
(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): Luis Carlos Martínez, José Eduardo Serrao

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.
	Demotispa neivai	Oil palm (Elaeis guineensis)	Colombia
Beauveria bassiana (entomopathogen)	Demotispa neivai
Metarhizium anisopliae (entomopathogen)	Demotispa neivai	Oil palm (Elaeis guineensis)	Colombia