Microbial Control

Fungal strain selection and screenhouse evaluation of the virulent isolate against aphids on crucifer and okra vegetablesWakuma Bayissa, Sunday Ekesi, Godwin P. Kaaya, Samira Mohamed, John M. Wagacha and Nguya K. ManianiaVirulence of fungal spores produced in liquid and solid state media on nymphs of Trialeurodes vaporariorumEduardo Abreo & Nora AltierDevelopment of entomopathogenic fungi in mosquito control: which kind of production for which efficiency?Thomas Bawin, Frank Delvigne, Frédéric FrancisThe basis for rootstock resilient to Capnodis species: screening for genes encoding delta-endotoxins from Bacillus thuringiensisEitan Ben-Dov, Galina Gindin, Zvi Mendel, Arieh Zaritsky, Ariel KushmaroSelection of entomopathogenic fungi for the control of Aegorhynus nodipennis (Coleoptera: Curculionidae) under laboratory conditionsErnesto Cisternas, Andrés France and Irina UrtubiaSusceptibility of Plutella xylostella (L.) (Lepidoptera: Plutellidae) populations to Bacillus thuringiensis strain HD1Caroline Placidi De Bortoli, Ricardo Antonio Polanczyk, Neil Crickmore, Rafael Ferreira dos SantosSublethal effects of the Cry1Ac toxin of Bacillus thuringiensis Berliner in different Brazilian Plutella xylostella (L.) (Lepidoptera: Plutellidae) populationsSergio Antonio De Bortoli, Caroline Placidi De Bortoli, Ricardo Antonio Polanczyk, Neil CrickmoreEffect of Bacillus thuringiensis Berliner on biological characteristics of Orius insidiosus Say (Hemiptera: Anthocoridae) fed with eggs of Plutella xylostella (L.) (Lepidoptera: Plutellidae)Sergio Antonio De Bortoli, Ricardo Antonio Polanczyk, Alessandra Marieli Vacari, Roberto Marchi Goulart and Caroline Placidi De BortoliEvaluating microbial biocontrol agents: effects of Metarhizium brunneum on a non-target arthropodMartina Falagiarda, Chad Alton Keyser, Bernhardt M. Steinwender, Lene Sigsgaard, Jørgen EilenbergAn experimental autoinoculation device to control an invasive Asiatic pest, Drosophila suzukiiMaría Fernández-Bravo, Enrique Quesada-MoragaUse of a commercial Metarhizium anisopliae s.l. formulation to control Rhipicephalus microplus ticks in pen studyMariana G. Camargo, Allan F. Marciano, Fillipe A. Sá, Wendell M. S. Perinotto, Simone Quinelato, Patrícia S. Golo, Isabele C. Angelo, Márcia C. A. Prata, Vânia R. E. P. BittencourtTwo Colombian entomopathogenic fungi are highly efficient on Cerotoma tingomarianaErika Grijalba, Adriana Santos, Carlos EspinelBiological control of pollen beetles with the entomopathogenic fungus Beauveria bassianaDeborah Kaiser, Sven Bacher and Giselher GrabenwegerPathogenicity and virulence of Beauveria spp. against mountain pine beetle, Dendroctonus ponderosae (Coleoptera: Curculionidae: Scolytidae)George Kyei-Poku, Shajahan Johny, William Fick and Katherine BleikerThe Use of Microbial Plant Protection Agents for Insect Control in GermanyJohannes A. Jehle, Annette Herz, Brigitte Keller, Regina G. Kleespies, Eckhard Koch, Andreas Larem, Annegret Schmitt, Dietrich StephanSynthesis and secretion of volatile organic compounds by Triatoma infestans infected with Beauveria bassianaLuciana S. Lobo, Sergio J. Mijailosky, M. Patricia Juárez, Christian Luz, Éverton K. K. Fernandes and Nicolás PedriniPreliminary studies of entomopathogenic microorganisms present in Latvian population of horsechestnut leaf miner Cameraria ohridellaZane Metla, Rita Seskena, Santa Voitkane, Monika Maurhofer Bringolf, Liga JankevicaToxicity of Bacillus thuringiensis BERLINER Cry toxins in different Brazilian Plutella xylostella (L.) (Lepidoptera: Plutellidae) populationsRicardo Antonio Polanczyk, Caroline Placidi De Bortoli, Neil Crickmore, Rafael Ferreira dos Santos, Alessandra Marieli Vacari and Sergio Antonio De BortoliBacillus thuringiensis isolation from Brazilian soil samples: molecular characterization and biological activity against Plutella xylostella (Lepidoptera: Plutellidae)Ricardo Antonio Polanczyk, Thiago Trevisoli Agostini, Lais Fernanda Moreira, Rogério Teixeira Duarte, Fernando Hercos ValicenteEffect of endophytic Beauveria bassiana on herbivore defence in Arabidopsis thalianaMaya Raad, Travis Glare, Michael RostásPathogenicity of Beauveria and Metarhizium to the two stink bug species Nezara viridula and Piezodorus guildinii (Hemiptera: Pentatomidae) in laboratory and semi-fieldYordanys Ramos González, Ingeborg Klingen, Jorge R. Gómez Sousa  Evidence for synergies between Heterorhabditis bacteriophora (Nematoda: Heterorhabditidae) and Metarhizium brunneum (Hypocreales: Clavicipitaceae) in western corn rootworm controlHannes Rauch, Hermann Strasser, Roland ZelgerEvaluation of the effectiveness of the entomopathogens for the management of wireworms (Coleoptera: Elateridae) on spring wheatGadi V.P. Reddy, Khanobporn Tangtrakulwanich, Shaohui Wu, John H. Miller, Victoria L. Ophus, Stefan T. JaronskiUsing the combination of entomopathogenic fungi and extracts improves control of Spodoptera littoralis (Boisduval) (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae)Gloria Resquín-Romero, Inmaculada Garrido-Jurado, Enrique Quesada-MoragaWireworm control with fungus colonized barley kernels in cover-cropsSina Rogge, Giselher GrabenwegerA resource efficient method to test non target effects of new biocontrol agents in vitroBernhardt M. Steinwender, Jørgen Eilenberg, Elina Panahi, Kiri M. Fløistrup, Marta M. Cáceres, Gabriela M. Vergara, Lene SigsgaardUltrastructure of midgut of Podisus nigrispinus (Dallas) (Hemiptera: Pentatomidae) after consumption of prey with the Bacillus thuringiensis strain HD1Alessandra Marieli Vacari, Vanessa Fabíola Pereira de Carvalho, Caroline Placidi De Bortoli, Ricardo Antonio Polanczyk and Sergio Antonio De BortoliControl of sugarcane borer, Diatraea saccharalis, with formulations of Beauveria bassiana and Metarhizium anisopliaeInajá M. Wenzel, Antonio Batista Filho, Moacir R. Forim, Isabella B. Giordano, Bárbara E. DenadaeIdentification and functional analysis of two ABCC family genes in Helicoverpa armigeraYutao Xiao, Kongming W

Microbial Control 1

Double trouble for thrips: Effective biopesticide combinations to control soil-dwelling stages in chrysanthemums Michael Brownbridge, Taro Saito and Paul CôtéLethal and sub-lethal impacts of fungal biopesticides on house fly populations in simulated field settings of biocosms Naworaj Acharya, Simon Blanford, Edwin G. Rajotte, Nina E. Jenkins, Mathew B. Thomas Management of Prostephanus truncatus (Horn.) on stored maize using Beauveria bassiana (Bals.) Mavis A. Acheampong, Eric W. Cornelius, Vincent Y. Eziah, Ken O.Fening, Clare Storm, Dave Moore, Nick Jessops, Matthew Smith, Olivier Potin, Pierre Grammare and Belinda LukeLack of involvement of chitinase in direct toxicity of Beauveria bassiana exudates to the aphid Myzus persicae Peter Cheong, Travis R. Glare, Michael Rostas, Stephen Haines, Jolon Dyer, Stefan Clerens, Jenny Brookes and Stephen FordEntomopathogenic fungi for control of false codling moth in South African citrus orchards Candice A. Coombes, Martin P. Hill, Sean D. Moore, Joanna F. DamesWireworm control with entomopathogenic fungi and plant extracts Sonja Eckard, Sven Bacher, Jürg Enkerli, Giselher Grabenweger Long-term persistence of Beauveria brongniartii BIPESCO 2 used for cockchafer control in the Euroregion Tyrol Johanna Mayerhofer, Jürg Enkerli, Roland Zelger & Hermann Strasse

Microbial Control 3

Synthesis and Characterization of fungus mediated silver nanoparticle for the toxicity on filarial Vector, Culex quinquefasciatus Siva Kamalakannan, Chandrakasan Gobinath, Sivapunyam Ananth, Kadarkarai Murugan Entomopathogenic fungi as endophytes: interaction with phytohormones Dalia Muftah Alkhayat, Katharina Döll, Petr Karlovsky, Stefan Vidal Pathogenicity of three entomopathogenic fungi on larvae and adults of the sisal weevil: The less the better? Vasiliki Gkounti1, Markogiannaki Dimitra, Dimitris Kontodimas Understanding Beauveria bassiana infection within its host Triatoma infestans: time course expression of genes encoding fungal toxic nonribosomal peptides and insect humoral immune proteins Luciana S. Lobo, Éverton K. K. Fernandes, Christian Luz, M. Patricia Juárez, Nicolás PedriniCompatibility of herbicides used in olive orchards with a Metarhizium brunneum strain used for the control of the olive fly preimaginals in the soil Enrique Quesada-Moraga, Inmaculada Garrido-Jurado, Meelad YousefThe Seed Corn Maggot and Metarhizium are Related to Maize Yield in an Organic, Cover Crop-Based Farming Systems Experiment Mary Barbercheck, Christina Mulle

Microbial Control 3

Synthesis and Characterization of fungus mediated silver nanoparticle for the toxicity on filarial Vector, Culex quinquefasciatus Siva Kamalakannan, Chandrakasan Gobinath, Sivapunyam Ananth, Kadarkarai Murugan Entomopathogenic fungi as endophytes: interaction with phytohormones Dalia Muftah Alkhayat, Katharina Döll, Petr Karlovsky, Stefan Vidal Pathogenicity of three entomopathogenic fungi on larvae and adults of the sisal weevil: The less the better? Vasiliki Gkounti1, Markogiannaki Dimitra, Dimitris Kontodimas Understanding Beauveria bassiana infection within its host Triatoma infestans: time course expression of genes encoding fungal toxic nonribosomal peptides and insect humoral immune proteins Luciana S. Lobo, Éverton K. K. Fernandes, Christian Luz, M. Patricia Juárez, Nicolás PedriniCompatibility of herbicides used in olive orchards with a Metarhizium brunneum strain used for the control of the olive fly preimaginals in the soil Enrique Quesada-Moraga, Inmaculada Garrido-Jurado, Meelad YousefThe Seed Corn Maggot and Metarhizium are Related to Maize Yield in an Organic, Cover Crop-Based Farming Systems Experiment Mary Barbercheck, Christina Mulle

Biological control of leatherjackets using insect pathogens OF0116T

Leatherjackets (Tipula spp.; larvae of crane flies) are significant pests affecting the organic farming sector. Effective non-chemical methods of protecting organic crops from leatherjackets have not yet been developed, although insect pathogens are a promising method for biological control of these pests. This study will aim to identify and evaluate fungi, nematodes and the bacterium Bacillus thuringiensis for their effectiveness as control agents. The pathogens will be sourced from the HRI resource collection. Selected isolates of pathogens with known activity to dipteran pests will be screened in bioassays against laboratory-reared leatherjackets. Virulent isolates will be examined in detail both in laboratory experiments and glasshouse trials on a cereal and a field vegetable. Feeding behaviour of the pests will be studied in order to develop a rational strategy for application of the microbial control agents, and the effect of temperature on the virulence of control microbes (including cold-tolerant nematodes) will be examined. The incidence of insect pathogenic nematodes and fungi in a population of leatherjackets from an organic farm will be recorded. Replicated field experiments with microbial control agents will be conducted at HDRA under appropriate organic crop production systems using relevant methods developed in other, related MAFF-funded projects. Findings of the study will be published in refereed journals and grower-related information made available at HRI and HDRA and open days, and through the trade press

Microbial Control - from Bench to Business

Plenary SymposiumPotentials for utilizing and controlling insect pathogens Richou Han, Xuehong Qiu and Xun YanStory of an African firm: 10 years in the biopesticide business – lessons learned along the way Sean MooreA Roadmap to the Successful Development and Commercialization of Microbial Pest Control Products for Control of ArthropodsWillem J. RavensbergBASF Functional Crop Care. Unlocking Agricultural Potential in Soil, Seed and CropSebastian Bache

Leaf-Cutter Ants and Microbial Control

The attini tribe comprises fungusgrowing ants, such as the basal Apterostigma and other more specialized genera, including the higher attine and the ones that cut the fresh plant tissue (Atta and Acromyrmex), maintaining an obligatory mutualistic relation with the fungus Leucoagaricus gongylophorus, which serves as a food source for the ants. Leaf-cutter ants are considered agriculture pests and populate the soil, a rich environment, especially due to the presence of several microorganisms. Some of these microorganisms are natural enemies that may cause epizootics (quickly spreading opportunistic diseases). Such defence strategies include polyethism, that is, division of labor among the individuals. The older ants take on the responsibility of foraging, as their integument is harder and heavily sclerotized, serving as a protective barrier against pathogens (including bacteria and antagonistic fungi). The younger ants, whose metapleural glands synthetize important secretions to eliminate and control microorganisms that could attack the colony fungus garden and the immature (larvae and pupae), remain inside the colony cultivating symbiont fungi. The sum of the survival strategies of ants in general, including social immunity and nest-cleaning behavior, represents a barrier for the application of biological control programs, mainly microbial ones

Improving the availability of biopesticides : an interdisciplinary research project

There is a need for new, biologically-based crop protection products to serve as alternatives to or to complement synthetic chemical pesticides. An interdisciplinary research team from the natural and social sciences considered whether regulatory barriers were preventing more biopesticides reaching the market. The research coincided with a realisation by policy makers that more needed to be done to facilitate biopesticide registration, exemplified by the UK's Biopesticides Scheme. However, important differences remain between the UK and other countries such as the USA. Changes in regulatory arrangements need careful handling. The scientific work undertaken in the project provided a better understanding of the population biology of microbial control agents. Interdisciplinary work permitted a contribution to the policy debate

Microbial biopesticides for integrated crop management : an assessment of environmental and regulatory sustainability

Herbivorous insects and mites, plant diseases and weeds are major impediments to the production of food crops and are increasingly difficult to control with conventional chemicals. This paper focuses on microbial control agents with an emphasis on augmentation. There are marked differences in the availability of products in different countries which can be explained in terms of differences in their regulatory systems. Regulatory failure arises from the application of an inappropriate synthetic pesticides model. An understanding of regulatory innovation is necessary to overcome these problems. Two attempts at remedying regulatory failure in the UK and the Netherlands are assessed. Scientific advances can feed directly into the regulatory process and foster regulatory innovation

A potential microbial control for fireweed (Epilobium angustifolium)

Des plants infectés d'épi lobe à feuilles étroites (Epilobium angustifolium) ont été récoltés au Québec et les organismes isolés de ces plants ont été évalués comme agents potentiels de lutte biologique. Treize champignons pathogènes ont été isolés et trois d'entre eux (Colletotrichum dematium, Seimatosporium kriegerianum et Alternaria alternata) ont été virulents lors d'essais préliminaires de sélection. Le plus virulent de ceux-ci, C. dematium, a causé d'importantes lésions sur les feuilles et les tiges des plantes infectées et a été sélectionné pour une étude plus approfondie. La production d'inoculum a été optimale sur gélose à base d'extrait de malt modifié, et la virulence a été augmentée par l'enlèvement de la matrice des conidies à l'aide d'acide tannique et par l'addition d'extraits d'Aloe saponaria. La champignon a été pathogène pour l'épilobe à feuilles étroites et l'E. lanceolatum, alors que les autres espèces évaluées ont été résistantes ou immunisées. Les dimensions des conidies et des appressoria et le nombre restreint de plantes-hôtes supportent l'hypothèse que cet isolât pourrait être une forme-espèce non répertoriée. L'application d'une formulation de conidies âgées de 10 à 15 j, à une concentration de 109 conidies m-2 et après une période de rosée de 18 à 24 h, a causé la mortalité de 100% des rosettes d'épilobe à feuilles étroites âgées de 7 semaines dans les 48 h suivant l'application. La virulence a été réduite chez les plantes plus âgées. Dans l'essai au champ, la croissance des rosettes infectées a diminué de 33%. Ces résultats démontrent le potentiel de C. dematium comme agent de lutte biologique en sylviculture contre les plantules d'épilobe à feuilles étroites.Diseased fireweed (Epilobium angustifolium) plants were collected in Quebec and organisms isolated from these plants were evaluated as potential biocontrol agents. Thirteen pathogenic fungi were isolated and three of these (Colletotrichum dematium, Seimatosporium kriegerianum, and Alternaria alternata) were virulent in initial screening assays. C. dematium was selected for further study because it was the most virulent pathogen, causing large necrotic lesions on leaves and stems of infected plants. Inoculum production was optimized on modified malt extract agar and the virulence enhanced by suppression of the conidial matrix with tannic acid and the addition of extracts of Aloe saponaria. The fungus was pathogenic to fireweed and E. lanceolatum, while other test species were very resistant or immune. Measurements of conidial and appressorial dimensions and its restricted host range support the hypothesis that the isolate may be an unreported form-species. Application of formulated conidia consistently provided 100% mortality of 7-wk-old inoculated fireweed rosettes within 48 h using 109 conidia m-2, from 10- to 15-d-old inoculum, and a 18- to 24-h dew period. Virulence was diminished in older plants. In field trials, growth of inoculated rosettes was reduced by 33%. These results suggest that C. dematium is a promising candidate for further development as a control agent for seedling fireweed in silviculture