Selection ofconidia/ml). Vegetative growth on culture media and sporulation on culture media, cooked rice and lesser mealworm cadavers were also evaluated. Isolates of B. bassiana were more effective than the M. anisopliae isolates and larvae were more susceptible than adults. The isolates UNIOESTE 04 and UNIOESTE 02 were originally obtained from adults of the lesser mealworm and were the most efficient isolates. In addition, UNIOESTE 04 showed high level of sporulation on different culture media and is considered a potential useful tool to lesser mealworm control.KEY WORDS: Biological control, poultry house, lesser mealworm RESUMO -Este trabalho teve por objetivo selecionar isolados de fungos entomopatogênicos, visando sua utilização no controle do cascudinho, Alphitobius diaperinus (Panzer). Larvas e adultos foram inoculados com suspensões de conídios de 99 isolados de Beauveria bassiana (Bals.) Vuill. e Metarhizium anisopliae (Metsch.) Sorok. em concentrações variáveis de 10 5 a 10 9

Efeito do Tiametoxam Sobre Microrganismos EntomopatogênicosRESUMO -A compatibilidade de microrganismos entomopatogênicos com tiametoxam e outros inseticidas foi estudada através de ensaios in vitro e em campo. Os microrganismos testados foram: Aschersonia aleyrodis, Bacillus thuringiensis, Baculovirus anticarsia (VPNAg), Beauveria bassiana, Hirsutella thompsonii, Metarhizium anisopliae, Nomuraea rileyi, Paecilomyces farinosus, Sporothrix insectorum e Verticillium lecanii. Em laboratório, foram testadas duas concentrações de cada produto, o que envolveu as recomendações máxima e mínima para uso em condições de aplicação no campo. Os produtos foram adicionados em meio de cultura específico para crescimento dos entomopatógenos. Foram avaliados os crescimentos reprodutivo e vegetativo para fungos e unidades formadoras de colô-nias (UFC) para bactérias. Para os testes conduzidos em campo foram consideradas as UFC para fungos e bactéria e a mortalidade de lagartas para o NPV de Anticarsia gemmatalis (Hueb.). Os resultados mostraram que: (1) a ação dos produtos fitossanitários sobre o crescimento vegetativo e a esporulação dos microrganismos variou em função da natureza química dos produtos, da concentração e da espécie do agente microbiano; (2) ABSTRACT -The compatibility of entomopathogenic microorganisms with thiamethoxam and other insecticides was studied in vitro and under field conditions. The microorganisms tested were: Aschersonia aleyrodis, Bacillus thuringiensis, Baculovirus anticarsia (NPVAg), Beauveria bassiana, Hirsutella thompsonii, Metarhizium anisopliae, Nomuraea rileyi, Paecilomyces farinosus, Sporothrix insectorum and Verticillium lecanii. Two concentrations of each product were tested in the laboratory, based on the maximum and minimum recommended rates for application in the field. The products were added to specific culture medium for growth of the entomopathogens. Reproductive and vegetative growth were evaluated for fungi, and colony forming units (CFU) were evaluated for bacteria. For the field test, CFUs were considered for both fungi and bacteria and caterpillar mortality for the NPV of Anticarsia gemmatalis (Hueb.). Results showed that: (1) the action of the pesticides on the vegetative growth and sporulation of the microorganisms varied as a function of the chemical nature of the products, its concentration and the microbial species; (2) thiamethoxam was compatible with all microorganisms studied; (3) endosulfan, monocrotophos and deltamethrin were the insecticides that most affected B. thuringiensis, B. bassiana, M. anisopliae and S. insectorum; (4) thiamethoxam did not affect the inoculum potential of B. thuringiensis, B. bassiana or M. anisopliae when applied to bean crop (Phaseolus vulgaris); and (5) thiamethoxam did not affect the efficiency of the nuclear polyhedral virus of A. gemmatalis.

Screening of Metarhizium Anisopliae (Metsch.) Sorok. Strains against the Sugarcane Root Spittlebug Mahanarva Fimbriolata (Stål) (Hemiptera: Cercopidae) in Laboratory ABSTRACT-The accumulated mulch on the soil resultant from the mechanized cutting of sugarcane promotes favorable temperature and moist to Mahanarva fimbriolata (Stål), a pest that causes serious problems due to its widespread occurrence and high populations. Seventy nine isolates of Metarhizium anisopliae (Metsch.) Sorok. from different hosts and regions were tested for their pathogenicity. Ten spitlebugs were put in petri dishes (9 cm of diameter) containing sugarcane leaves sprayed with 1 ml of a suspension containing 5 x 10 7 conidia/ml. Five replicates were used per treatment. The petri dishes were kept at 25 ± 1°C, 70 ± 10% RH and 12h photophase. Insects were monitored daily to calculate total cumulative mortality, as well as corrected and confirmed mortality for each treatment. The best tested isolates were: IBCB 348, IBCB 351, IBCB 363, IBCB 408, IBCB 410, IBCB 418, IBCB 425 and IBCB 482, which showed confirmed mortality equal or higher than 70%, six days after spraying.

Heterotermes tenuis is an important pest in sugarcane in Brazil, where alternative control methods are necessary due to cancellations of chemical pesticide registrations. Experiments were conducted to determine the pathogenicity, virulence and mass production yields of Beaweria spp. isolates as potential microbial control candidates for H . tenuis. Results demonstrated that the average virulence of the B. brongniartii isolates was comparable to that of B. hussiunu isolates. Isolates obtained from soil were as effective as microbial control agents as those obtained directly from insect hosts. However, no B. brongniartii or soil isolate was among those best isolates selected, which included two of the three termite isolates tested. LT5" for 15 selected isolates varied between 2.91 and 4.91 days, and termite mortalities caused by these isolates were between 78.7 and 98.7% after 8 days. Significant differences were observed among these selected isolates. Conidial productions on artificial media (PDA and cooked rice) correlated well for the selected isolates. However, spore production on the termite cadavers did not correlate with production on these artificial media. The most productive isolate on cadavers (634) was 21 YO more productive than the second best isolate (447), and was also a good conidial producer on artificial media with 25% lower conidial yield than the best producer (756). The least productive isolate on cadavers or artificial medium (760) produced only 3% of production by isolate 756 on cooked rice and 45% of production on termite cadavers. Because high conidial production on cadavers is a desirable characteristic to facilitate transmission of the disease in the nest, isolate 634 was selected for further development as microbial agent for H . tenuis control.