Pathogenicity of some local entomopathogenic fungus isolates on the cotton leafworm larvae, Spodoptera littoralis (Boisd.) (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae)

• Published in: Egyptian journal of biological pest control 2021-11, Vol.31 (1), p.1-6, Article 150
• Main Authors: Şahin, Funda, Yanar, Yusuf
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Beauveria bassiana; Biological control; Biomedical and Life Sciences; Clonostachys rogersoniana; Conidia; Cotton; Entomopathogenic fungi; Fungi; Laboratories; Larvae; Lepidoptera; Life Sciences; Metarhizium brunneum; Mortality; Noctuidae; Pathogenicity; Pathogens; Pest control; Soil microorganisms; Spodoptera littoralis; Variance analysis; Zoology
• ISSN: 2536-9342; 1110-1768; 2536-9342
• DOI: 10.1186/s41938-021-00494-3

Background Pathogenicity of the entomopathogenic fungi (EPF), isolated from soil samples collected from Ordu Province, Turkey, was evaluated on the second-instar larvae of the cotton leaf worm Spodoptera littoralis (Boisd.) (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae) under laboratory conditions. Results Firstly, single-concentration response tests were conducted in order to determine the efficacy of the 64 isolates on S. littoralis larvae at the concentration of 1 × 10 8 conidia/ml. The five isolates displaying the highest mortality rates in single-concentration response tests, ORU-50, ORM-40, ORP-13, ORP-27 and ORM-48 (which included Beauveria bassiana, Metarhizium brunneum and Clonostachys rogersoniana ), were subjected to concentration–response tests at the concentrations of 1 × 10 5 –1 × 10 9 conidia/ml. The lowest LC 50 and LC 90 values were recorded at ORP-27 with 1.68 × 10 7 and 4.60 × 10 8 conidia/ml, respectively, followed by ORP-13 and ORM-40. Conclusions Accordingly, it was found that M. brunneum isolates were more effective than B. bassiana and C. rogersoniana against S. littoralis larvae. ORP-27, ORP-13 and ORM-40 of M. brunneum isolates can be a potential biological control agent used against S. littoralis larvae.