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White grubs are highly polyphagous and most destructive soil pests inflicting damage to a
wide variety of crops. In India, more than 1000 species of white grubs are known of which
over 40 species attack wide range of plants. White grubs are naturally infected by various
entomopathogens which include fungi, bacteria and nematodes. Entomopathogenic f...
Context in source publication
Context 1
... aniso- pliae was first described in Ukraine from infected larvae of wheat cockchafer Anisopliae austriaca in 1879 (Tulloch 1976). Metarhizium causes a disease known as 'green muscardine' in insect hosts because of the green colour of its conidial cells (Figures 2 and 3). B. bassiana is a fungus that grows naturally in soil and acts as a pathogen on various insect species and causes 'white muscardine' disease in white grubs. ...
Citations
... The current findings were also in agreement with Channakeshava (2006) on L. lepidophora using M. anisopliae in arecanut. Use of insecticides increases the risk of pest resistance (Chandel et al., 2018). Literatures pertaining to the bioefficacy studies comparing different entomopathogenic (EPF) formulations against white grub species are meagre (Patel et al., 2022). ...
White grubs are one of the most damaging soil insect pests inflicting economic losses in groundnut cultivation in India. The white grub Leucopholis coneophora (Burmeister) is a polyphagous pest of coconut and intercrops. However, in the mid-hill region of Meghalaya, the occurrence of this species was recorded, which calls for an investigation. Also, there is a need to develop location-specific and easily adoptable climate-ready technologies before it attains pest status. In this context, a field experiment was conducted to evaluate the efficacy of few insecticides and bioformulations with different methods of application. Results showed that seed treatment with imidacloprid 17.8SL @ 3ml/ kg seeds proved to be the most effective by exhibiting the lowest grub incidence (0.17 grubs/ 12 sq m plot) and minimum plant infestation (1.82%). For bioformulations, field spraying with Metarrhizium anisopliae (1x108 spores/ml @5ml/ l) was found to be superior over Beauveria bassiana at the same dose. These results will aid in formulating an ecofriendly IPM strategy for white grubs in this climate-resilient region of India.
... EPNs have previously been naturally isolated from white grubs (Coleoptera: Scarabaeidae). Chandel et al. (2018) provided a list of up to 11 different species of EPNs that have been naturally isolated from white grubs. White grubs (Coleoptera: Scarabaeidae) are the root feeding larvae of scarab beetles (Jackson & Klein 2006). ...
White grubs are root feeding larvae of beetles (Coleoptera: Scarabaeidae) that are sporadic pests in agriculture and can lead to economic damage. The grubs feed on the roots of plants, while the adult beetle can bore into underground stems, as well as cause defoliation of plants. Sporadic incidence of larvae with symptoms of nematode infections were detected in wattle and sugarcane plantations in the KwaZulu-Natal province of South Africa. The larvae with infection symptoms were isolated, washed, and put on water traps to collect infective juveniles of possible nematode infections. Three species of entomopathogenic nematodes (EPNs) were isolated from the white grub larvae. These included Steinernema bertusi isolated from Maladera sp. 4., Oscheius myriophila from Maladera sp. 4 and Schizonchya affinis, and Steinernema fabii isolated from Maladera sp. 4., Pegylis sommeri, and S. affinis. Of these S. fabii was the most common species in the sample (87%). This is the first report of such a high diversity of locally occurring EPNs found naturally associated with white grub species in this region of South Africa.
... Grubs are subterranean and feed on living roots. In temperate and tropical climates, they damage food crops by feeding on the roots of both cultivated and uncultivated plants (Ravinder et al. 2018). The 3rd instar grubs are most destructive stage of the insect. ...
Background
This study evaluated the shelf life and effectiveness of Metarhizium anisopliae encapsulated in Na (sodium)-alginate matrix. Air-flow-dried and freeze-dried beads containing conidia of M. anisopliae produced in submersion in the liquid broth were fabricated and characterized. Shelf life and efficacy of fabricated beads against three species of the white grubs, namely Holotrichia serrata , Adoretus sp., and Lepidiota mansueta, were evaluated under greenhouse conditions.
Results
The mean size of the wet beads ranged between 1.4 and 3.2 mm. The mean size of beads that were dried through freeze drying ranged between 0.55 and 2.3 mm. However, the mean size of beads dried through air flow ranged between 0.55 and 2.35 mm. Viability of M. anisopliae was more in freeze-dried beads stored at 8 °C compared to air-flow-dried beads with 20.0 × 10 ⁷ and 16.00 × 10 ⁷ CFU/g, respectively, after two weeks of drying. Further, freeze-dried beads supported M. anisopliae conidial viability till 10 months with 2.0 × 10 ⁷ CFU/g. The LC 50 values of the freeze-dried beads with M. anisopliae after 21 days of treatment were 0.35 (2.1 × 10 ⁸ CFU/g), 0.31 (2.1 × 10 ⁸ CFU/g), and 0.76 mg (2.1 × 10 ⁸ CFU/g) against H. serrata, Adoretus sp., and L. mansueta, respectively.
Conclusion
The results of this study support the use of Na-alginate beads followed by freeze drying to maintain the viability of M. anisopliae. The effectiveness of freeze-dried beads with M. anisopliae against white grubs indicates that these beads can be an alternative option of synthetic insecticides against soil dwelling insect pests. In addition, this study offers a steppingstone for further advancement of sodium alginate encapsulated formulations for soil insect control.
... Some genera contain species/strains that are species-specific, while others have broad insecticidal activity. Various species, including those from the genera Beauveria, Metarhizium, Entomopthora, Lecanicillium (formerly Verticillium), and Isaria (formerly Paecilomyces), have been isolated from different scarab species and documented in epizootics [42,[78][79][80][81][82][83][84]. However, of these, Beauveria bassiana and Metharizium anispoliae dominate in soil systems, and as a result, are the most widely used for insect biocontrol (Table 1). ...
... There are currently four strains of B. bassiana registered with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), HF23, GHA, ANT-03, and PPRI 5339, corresponding to over 45 different registered products. Several other formulations are available globally [36,84]. Although B. bassiana is generally very effective, with most studies showing about 70% mortality at high spore concentrations within 2-3 weeks after application [92][93][94][95], its efficacy on scarab species is variable across strains and larval instars [95][96][97][98][99][100]. B. brongniartii appears to provide more consistent control of scarab pests than B. bassiana [101][102][103][104][105][106], but it is only commercially available in European markets [5,84]. ...
... Several other formulations are available globally [36,84]. Although B. bassiana is generally very effective, with most studies showing about 70% mortality at high spore concentrations within 2-3 weeks after application [92][93][94][95], its efficacy on scarab species is variable across strains and larval instars [95][96][97][98][99][100]. B. brongniartii appears to provide more consistent control of scarab pests than B. bassiana [101][102][103][104][105][106], but it is only commercially available in European markets [5,84]. Most of the species in the B. scarabaeidicola complex and have not yet been tested extensively; however, Wang et al. [90] did test these four of these species (B. ...
Injury and control costs for the invasive scarab Japanese beetle (Family Scarabeidae, Popillla japonica) alone is estimated at $450 million per year in the U.S. Chemical controls are commonly used to control scarab pests, but concerns about human safety and negative impacts on beneficial and non-target organisms, such as pollinators, are increasingly driving the market towards less toxic and more environmentally friendly management options. Microbial entomopathogens are excellent candidates for biopesticides and biocontrol agents. Although microbial pesticides currently make up only 1–2% of the insecticide market, the discovery and development of new microbes are increasing. Microbial products are non-toxic to humans and most are species-specific, reducing non-target effects. While some are slow-acting, others provide rapid control and some can be as efficacious as chemical insecticides, particularly when used in combination. Another major advantage of microbial controls is that many can persist in the environment, and become biocontrol agents, providing long-term control and reducing costs. This article provides a summary of the microbial entomopathogens that are known to infect scarab beetle species including bacterial, fungal, viral, microsporidian, and protozoan taxa, as well as the existing formulations and their efficacy. Lesser-known microbial species are also discussed as potential future controls. We also discuss the development of new techniques for improving efficacy, such as genetic engineering, synergistic interactions, auto-dissemination strategies, and improved formulations.
... B. bassiana strains 147 were used as an insecticide [8]. B. brongniartii and B. bassiana were used for the control of Brahmina coriacea with the dead larvae rate ranged from 40 to 83% [3]. Metarhizium anisopliae and Isaria fumosorosea [16] and C. fumosorosea [20] were used for the management of D. citri in the field. ...
Plantation forests accounted for 4.4 million hectares out of 14.7 million hectares of total forest area in Vietnam, and contribute greatly to the export of timber and wood products as well as the livelihoods of the mountainous people. Several species of insect pests have been observed in Dendrocalamus barbatus, Chukrasia tabularis, Acacia and Eucalyptus plantations. However, these pests were found to be parasitized by entopathogenic fungi. The aims of this study are to evaluate pathogenicity and identify taxonomy of the entopathogens obtained from Ceracris kiangsu, Episparis tortuosalis, Batocera lineolata and Endoclita sp. Results showed that seven entomopathogenic fungi were found from these four pests in which C. kiangsu had 2 isolates, E. tortuosalis had 2 isolates, B. lineolata had 1 isolate, and Endoclita sp. had 2 isolates. In addition, all isolates expressed pathogenicity in Galleria mellonella larvae with the parasitized percentage ranged from 73 to 100%. Based on ITS, LSU and TEF1-α sequence analysis, the identified entomopathogenic fungi belong to the genus Cordyceps. This finding suggests a great potential for application of these Cordyceps isolates in insect pest management programs in Vietnam.
... A promising future for nematodes in white grub management may lie in developing alternative approaches to their use as bio-pesticides (Ravinder et al., 2019). ...
Application of entomopathogenic nematodes to control larvae of Temnorhynchus baal (Reiche and Saulcy) under laboratory conditions and in strawberry fields
Dalia Adly, Gehan M. Nouh and Aziza Eid Eid
Biological Control Department, Plant Protection Research Institute, Agricultural Research Center, Giza, Egypt.
Abstract
The white grub, Temnorhynchus baal, is a major pest of the strawberry crop in many Asian and African countries. The white grabs cause significant economic losses in the yield. The present study aims to evaluate the effectiveness of entomopathogenic nematodes (EPNs) on the third larval instar of T. baal under laboratory conditions. The study extended to compare the efficacy of a combination of EPNs (Steinernema glaseri+ Heterorhabditis bacteriophora) against a natural infestation of T. baal with an organophosphorus insecticide (Diazinon) in an Egyptian strawberry field. In the laboratory, five larvae of T. baal were placed in soil and infected with EPNs. At the highest concentration of 4000 IJs/larva, the larvae were more susceptible to infection with S. glaseri than H. bacteriophora, with mortality percentages of 96 and 88%, respectively. The LC50 of S. glaseri and H. bacteriophora was 937.44 and 1026.58 IJs/larvae, respectively. The mortality percentage was 96% and 100% when treated for five larvae/cup and one larva/cup, respectively, after being infected with a combination of S. glaseri+ H. bacteriophora. The mortality percentage was higher in the mixture than for each species studied individually. In the field, throughout the seasons, the percentage of wilted plants was 17.64, 66.09, and 83.95% in 2020 and 12.56, 67.87, and 75.62% in 2021, for the plots treated with a combination of EPNs, insecticides, and control, respectively. Present findings indicate that entomopathogenic nematodes are good alternatives to control the white grub, T. baal, in strawberry fields
... Holotrichia (Coleoptera, Scarabaeidae, Melonthianae, Rhizotrogina) is a large genus that includes heterogeneous species groups inhabiting Southeast and East Asia (Ward et al., 2002;Anitha et al., 2006;Matsumoto, 2016). Because Holotrichia species, including H. serrata, H. consanguinea, H. reynaudi, H. loochooana loochooana, and H. parallela, are known as serial pests of agricultural crops, studies on entomopathogens, chemical ecology, and olfactory mechanisms have been conducted for pest control (Leal et al., 1993;Arakaki et al., 2003;Ju et al., 2018;Chandel et al., 2019;Wang et al., 2019). However, chronobiological studies on these species have not been conducted, except for H. parallela (Kawasaki et al., 2017). ...
A unique two-day rhythm, circabidian rhythm, has been reported in the black chafer, Holotrichia parallela. However, it remains unknown how widely the circabidian rhythm appears in related species. We examined the activity rhythm and phylogeny of congeneric species inhabiting Japan to investigate the appearance of circabidian rhythms in a few subgenera of the genus Holotrichia. We found that Holotrichia picea also exhibited circabidian rhythm. In addition to the regular circabidian pattern, circabidian rhythms with day-switching or with a circadian activity component were also observed. In the day-switching pattern, H. picea switched appearance from odd to even days, or vice versa. In the circadian-like activity patterns, a major night activity and a minor dusk activity appeared alternately. Holotrichia kiotonensis, Holotrichia convexopyga, and Holotrichia loochooana loochooana exhibited a circadian rhythm. Two distinct clades, A and B, were recognized in the histone H3, cytochrome c oxidase subunit 1, and 16S ribosomal RNA phylogenetic trees. This phylogenetic separation was in accordance with the subgeneric classification based on external morphology in a previous study and with behavioral rhythm in the present study: clade A included Nigrotrichia group members, H. kiotonensis, H. convexopyga, H. loochooana loochooana, and H. loochooana okinawana, while clade B included Pedinotrichia group members, H. paralella and H. picea. We suggest that after separation into Nigrotrichia and Pedinotrichia, the behavioral trait of circabidian rhythm probably appeared once in an ancestral species of the Pedinotrichia group, including H. parallela and H. picea.
... Production criteria include low cost, long-term stability, and, most significantly, consistent efficacy in the field. The development of a suitable formulation is mandatory in order to enhance spore application and successful utilization in soil (Chandel et al. 2018). According to Arora et al. (2000), entomopathogens control white grubs by invasive characteristics, poisons, enzymes, and other compounds. ...
Background
White grubs are highly polyphagous and most destructive soil pests inflicting damage to a groundnut crop that causes economic yield losses in commercial groundnut production in India. In this study, potential of the two entomopathogenic fungi (EPF) viz., Metarhizium anisopliae (Metchnikoff) Sorokin and Beauveria bassiana (Balsamo) Vuillemin enriched with organic amendments like neem cake, castor cake, vermicompost and poultry manure was evaluated to manage buildup of white grub population in groundnut crop.
Results
Results showed that the plot treated with soil application of vermicompost @ 1 ton/ha + M. anisopliae 1.15 WP (1 × 10 ⁸ cfu/g) @ 2 kg/ha showed the least amount of plant mortality due to white grub which was at par with castor cake @ 1 ton/ha + M. anisopliae 1.15 WP (1 × 10 ⁸ cfu/g) @ 2 kg/ha and neem cake @ 1 ton/ha + M. anisopliae 1.15 WP (1 × 10 ⁸ cfu/g) @ 2 kg/ha which showed only 1.74, 2.00 and 2.24% plant damage, respectively. Plots treated with vermicompost @ 1 ton/ha + M. anisopliae 1.15 WP (1 × 10 ⁸ cfu/g) @ 2 kg/ha had the fewest (0.19) white grubs per one meter row length. Based on highest pod yield, net realization and net gain, the treatment with soil application of vermicompost @ 1 ton/ha + M. anisopliae 1.15 WP (1 × 10 ⁸ cfu/g) @ 2 kg/ha was found most effective treatments for the management of white grub in groundnut.
Conclusions
Results indicated that M. anisopliae supplemented with various organic amendments, such as vermicompost, castor cake, and neem cake can be commercialized as a healthy alternative to minimize the use of synthetic pesticides in groundnut crops for white grub management .
... En este sentido, existen diversos estudios sobre la utilización de los NEPs en el control de plagas de espacios verdes que se desarrollan en el suelo. Así, podemos mencionar diversos trabajos que han evaluado la potencialidad de los NEPs en el control de plagas del césped como Tipula paludosa y Tipula oleracea (Diptera: Tipulidae) (Peters et al 1994;Oestergaard et al 2006) y diversas especies de gusanos blancos (Coleoptera: Scarabaeoidea) (Chandel et al 2019). ...
La presencia de plagas de insectos en áreas verdes conlleva, en muchas ocasiones, establecer estrategias de control que deben ser respetuosas con el medio ambiente y muy especialmente, al tratarse de espacios urbanizados, con la salud de las personas. En este contexto, los agentes de control biológico han de jugar un papel importante en las estrategias de control de estas plagas. Los nematodos entomopatógenos (NEPs) son un agente de control biológico utilizado en el control de numerosas plagas de insectos, de gran importancia económica, que se desarrollan en diferentes hábitats. Los mayores éxitos se han alcanzado contra plagas que habitan en el suelo o en el interior de galerías producidas en las plantas, donde los nematodos encuentran una mayor protección para su supervivencia, frente a los factores ambientales adversos. En este trabajo se hace una pequeña revisión de la potencialidad de los NEPs en el control de diversas plagas que se desarrollan en áreas verdes y a modo de ejemplo se analiza, con mayor profundidad, el papel que pueden jugar estos nematodos en el control del tigre del plátano (Corythucha ciliata).
... This inability to grow outside the host distinguishes P. popilliae and P. lentimorbus from other successfully commercialized spore-forming bacteria, such as Bacillus and Lysinibacillus spp. In addition, P. popilliae strains are also highly specific and although strains have been isolated with activity against different grubs (Chandel et al., 2019), only strains infecting P. japonica have been commercialized (Koppenhöfer and Wu, 2017). Direct injection into the hemocoel of vegetative cells helps to overcome this strain specificity (Milner, 1981), suggesting that specificity may be related to the ability of crossing the gut epithelial barrier. ...
