Biodiversity and virulence characterization of entomopathogenic fungi isolated from soils in different regions of Nigeria

• Published in: Egyptian journal of biological pest control 2022-08, Vol.32 (1), p.1-8, Article 93
• Main Authors: Yakubu, Mohammed Nuru, Ladan, Mohammed Auwal, Deba, Fatima Ali, Isma’il, Safiya, Haruna, Usman Sa’id, Aliyu, Habiba Usman, Abdulhameed, Ahmad, Tahir, Fatima
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Baits; Biocontrol; Biodiversity; Biomedical and Life Sciences; Entomopathogenic fungi; Fungi; Galleria mellonella; Insects; Larvae; Life Sciences; Mortality; Nigeria; Pest control; Sampling; Soil conditions; Soil microorganisms; Soils; Species diversity; Spores; Subsoils; Virulence; Zoology
• ISSN: 2536-9342; 1110-1768; 2536-9342
• DOI: 10.1186/s41938-022-00593-9

Background Studying the diversity of the indigenous entomopathogenic fungi (EPF) is a prerequisite to effective insect pest control. The distribution and occurrence of EPF from the soil across Nigeria were evaluated. Three subsoil samples from three locations in each of the 11 states were used to isolate the fungi by the insect bait method. Three fungal rates, 1.0 × 10 2 , 5.0 × 10 1 and 7.5 × 10 1 spores/ml, were applied to the Galleria larvae. Results EPF occurred in 41.1% of the soil sampled. These fungi belong to five and an unidentified genus. High species diversity was observed in Abuja with 6 species, and a uniform diversity of 5 species in Gombe, Ibadan, Jos, Kano, Lagos, Nasarawa and Port Harcourt. The Shannon–Wiener index ranges from 2.48 to 1.84. Similarly, species evenness showed a distinct similarity across the 11 sampling states and ranges from 0.99 to 0.92. Simpson Diversity Index was found to be highest in Bauchi with 0.31 and lowest in Abuja with 0.19. The mortality of the Galleria mellonella (L.) larvae differed significantly ( P