Susceptibility of Gyropsylla spegazziniana (Lizer & Trelles) (Hemiptera: Psyllidae) to Beauveria bassiana (Bals.) Vuill.

Abstract

Gyropsylla spegazziniana is one of the most prominent pest insects of yerba mate culture in all production regions in Brazil, Argentina and Paraguay. Natural enemies have been recorded on G. spegazziniana nymphs and adults, including the Zoophthora radicans entomopathogenic fungus. Since there are no reports of Beauveria bassiana, the aim of this study was to register its pathogenicity with respect to this insect in a laboratory setting. Yerba mate branches were kept in glass flasks with water and we infested each leaf with 20 newly-emerged nymphs. We prepared three replicates per treatment. We sprayed conidia suspensions (1 × 109 conidia/mL) onto the branches, which we transferred to cages and kept in an acclimatized room (26 ± 1°C, 70 ± 10% of relative humidity (R.H.) with a photophase of 14 hours). We evaluated insect mortality daily, and after five days we observed a high level of pathogenicity due to the presence of the fungus, that could be visually observed on the cadaver. The total mortality varied from 25 to 70% (respectively for Unioeste 4 and CG 716) and the confirmed mortality was 30% for Unioeste 52, revealing the fungus' potential. However, more studies are necessary in order to evaluate the strains of this fungus, as well as other species.

Characterization and activity of entomopathogenic fungi isolates against “paraguay tea ampul” (Gyropsylla spegazziniana) (Lizer & Trelles) (Hemiptera: Psyllidae)

“…In this context, studies conducted in Brazil have shown the potential of vegetal extracts (BARZOTTO, 2010;HAAS et al, 2010), and the entomopathogenic fungus Zoophthora radicans (Brefeld) has been observed on 90% of G. spegazziniana cadavers in Paraguay tea plantations in Brazil and Argentina (ALVES et al, 2009;SOSA-GÓMEZ et al, 1994). Additionally, the susceptibility of G. spegazziniana to Beauveria bassiana isolates was recently demonstrated for the first time, revealing encouraging results (ALVES et al, 2013). So, as done by Ugine et al (2013), this new interaction must be investigated not only for testing the virulence of the different isolates, but also for the biological characterization, assessing their microbial biocontrol potential.…”

Relevamiento de la diversidad fúngica entomopatógena asociada a cultivos orgánicos de yerba mate en Paraguay

“…Estas colonias pertenecieron principalmente a los géneros Alternaria, Rhizopus, Absidia, Mucor, Penicillium, Aspergillus y Fusarium (Figura 2). Asimismo, se logró aislar e identificar una cepa del hongo entomopatógeno perteneciente al género Beauveria como se muestra en la Figura 3 (12) .…”

Using Sticky Card Traps to Evaluate Entomopathogen Fungi Occurrence in Insect Populations: A Cautionary Tale

“…An initial study showed that G. spegazziniana is susceptible to Beauveria bassiana (Blas.-Criv.) (Hypocreales: Cordycipitaceae) (Alves et al 2013). Further screening identified a certain strain, B. bassiana (sensu lato) strain Unioeste 44, as being highly toxic to G. spegazziniana (Formentini et al 2015).…”