Identification and evaluation of isolated entomopathogenic fungus from Egyptian soil against the black cutworm larvae of Agrotis ipsilon (Hufnagel) (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae)

Abstract

Background The black cutworm, Agrotis ipsilon (Hufnagel) (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae), is considered as one of the most destructive pests of many field crops in Egypt. Entomopathogenic fungi (EPF) have long been accepted as relatively safe alternatives to chemical insecticides. In the past decades, many researchers have compared the effective local isolates of EPF to the formulated product of the same fungus and reported that local isolates were more efficient than formulations when used against target insects. Results The present study discussed the pathogenic activity of local isolate after scientific characterization. Two insect species [Galleria mellonella L. and Agrotis ipsilon (Hufn.)] were used in this evaluation. The fungus was isolated from soil samples by trapping method, and fourth-instar larvae of Galleria were used to evaluate the pathogenicity of the isolate. The isolate was identified as Beauveria bassiana. Different levels of the fungus development depending on the test temperatures (20, 25, 30, 35 and 40 °C) were tested. Optimal growth of the isolate fungus was recorded at 25 °C. The corrected mortality rate for fourth-instar larvae of G. mellonella treated with the isolate spores at 6.4 × 105 spores/ml was (96%) after 10 days, while the mortality of last instar larvae of A. ipsilon was (48 and 100%) at the concentrations of 9.2 × 104 and 2.9 × 106 spores/ml, respectively, after 14 days compared to (24%) in the control. Both pupation and the sex ratio in adults were affected at different levels according to the concentration. The effect was also very clear in the increased rates of malformation in adults. Conclusion The EPF, B. bassiana, isolated from the soil, was highly effective against G. mellonella larvae in storage and A. ipsilon larvae in soil; therefore, it could be recommended as an alternative control agent for chemical pesticides.

Greasy cutworm (<i>Agrotis ipsilon</i>) and its biorational management strategies: A review

“…The pathogenicity of two entomopathogenic fungi was observed on larvae of A. ipsilon, the formation of white spores indicated the growth of B. bassiana at LC50 (2 10 8 spore/ml) after 7 days, the formation of green spore after 15 days at LC50 (1.9 10 8 spore/ml) on the cadaver of larval pupal intermediate indicated the growth of M. anisopliae (Gabarty et al, 2014). Similarly, the Entomopathogenic Fungi (EPFs), Beauveria bassiana isolates were evaluated against the last instar larvae of A. ipsilon, and after 14 days (48 and 100%) mortality was observed at concentrations of 9.2 × 10 4 and 2.9 × 10 6 spores/ ml, respectively (Ahmed et al, 2022).…”

Virulence of Entomopathogenic Nematodes and their Symbiotic Bacteria against Insect Pests, with Special Reference to Agrotis ipsilon (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae): A Comprehensive Review.

“…This moth can fly thousands of kilometers under suitable conditions expanding its distribution range (Liu et al, 2015(Liu et al, , 2016Liu, 2015;Hayat et al, 2021;Lee et al, 2023), besides its considerable reproductive capacity Shield, 1998, Mishra, 2020). It is a polyphagous insect known to feed on several vegetables and many economically important grains worldwide (Navarro et al, 2010;Fernandes et al, 2013;Picimbon, 2020;Rodingpuia and Lalthanzara, 2021;Ahmed et al, 2022). Some control practices are usually applied for controlling A. ipsilon, such as cultural control (Bajwa and Kogan, 2004;Guedes and Picanço, 2012), mechanical control (Manishkumaret al, 2020), physical control (Abd El-Hamid, 2004Ali, 2011;Mohamed, 2012), host-plant resistance (Richmond and Shetlar, 2001;Hussaini et al, 2003a, b) and biological control (Viji and Bhagat, 2001;Salehi et al, 2005).…”

“…Some control practices are usually applied for controlling A. ipsilon, such as cultural control (Bajwa and Kogan, 2004;Guedes and Picanço, 2012), mechanical control (Manishkumaret al, 2020), physical control (Abd El-Hamid, 2004Ali, 2011;Mohamed, 2012), host-plant resistance (Richmond and Shetlar, 2001;Hussaini et al, 2003a, b) and biological control (Viji and Bhagat, 2001;Salehi et al, 2005). However, the control strategy of A. ipsilon depends mainly on the application of synthetic insecticides (Shakur et al, 2007;Abd El-Aziz et al, 2019;Veres et al, 2020;Ismail, 2021), to which this pest quickly develops resistance and cross-resistance (Fahmy, 2014;Mahmoud et al, 2016;Ahmed et al, 2022). Also, chemical insecticides are often not effective and remain inadequate for the control of A. ipsilon because of its larval hiding behavior during the daylight hours causing hidden damage in the fields (Capinera, 2001;Takeda, 2008).…”

Baseline Analysis of Endophytic Fungal Associates of Solenopsis invicta Buren from Mounds across Five Counties of Guangdong Province, China

“…Fungi isolation involving the use of selective media methods is apparently the most common. Meanwhile, several insect-baiting methods have also been widely reported as effective for the isolation of entomopathogenic fungal species [ 4 , 18 , 19 , 20 , 21 , 22 ]. Some of these aforementioned studies as well as few other RIFA-related studies have revealed that several generalists and entomopathogenic fungi occur in fire ants mounds [ 7 , 10 , 12 , 13 ].…”