Sustainable management of potato tuber moth in storages using entomopathogenic fungi and an ectoparasitic mite

Yan-Fei Song; Shuai Ye; Xiong Zhao He; Bing-Xia Feng; Wan-Hao Chen; Mao-Fa Yang; Jian-Feng Liu; Yu-Lin Gao

doi:10.1002/ps.8583

Sustainable management of potato tuber moth in storages using entomopathogenic fungi and an ectoparasitic mite

Pest Manag Sci. 2024 Dec 12. doi: 10.1002/ps.8583. Online ahead of print.

Authors

Yan-Fei Song¹, Shuai Ye¹, Xiong Zhao He², Bing-Xia Feng^{1

3}, Wan-Hao Chen⁴, Mao-Fa Yang^{1

5}, Jian-Feng Liu^{1

6}, Yu-Lin Gao⁶

Affiliations

¹ Institute of Entomology, Guizhou Provincial Key Laboratory for Agricultural Pest Management of the Mountainous Region, Guizhou University/Scientific Observing and Experiment Station of Crop Pests in Guiyang, Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, Guiyang, P. R. China.
² School of Agriculture and Environment, Massey University, Palmerston North, New Zealand.
³ Hebei Key Laboratory of Animal Physiology, Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Hebei Collaborative Innovation Center for Eco-Environment, Ministry of Education Key Laboratory of Molecular and Cellular Biology, College of Life Sciences, Hebei Normal University, Shijiazhuang, China.
⁴ Basic Medical School, Guizhou University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Guiyang, P. R. China.
⁵ College of Tobacco Science, Guizhou University, Guiyang, P. R. China.
⁶ State Key Laboratory for Biology of Plant Diseases and Insect Pests, Institute of Plant Protection, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Beijing, P. R. China.

PMID: 39665181
DOI: 10.1002/ps.8583

Abstract

Background: The potato tuber moth (PTM), Phthorimaea operculella, is an economically important pest of potato crops worldwide. So far, the application of chemical pesticides is the major measure to manage PTM, but it induces serious deleterious impacts on the environment and human health. Here, we screened the entomopathogenic fungi that are lethal to PTM, and tested their sublethal impacts on PTM development, mortality, and reproduction as well as that of ectoparasitic mite Pyemotes zhonghuajia, a natural enemy of PTM.

Results: Among 13 tested entomopathogenic fungal strains in three genera, Beauveria Vuillemin, Cordyceps Fries, and Talaromyces Benjamin, Cordyceps fumosorosea (strain KY1136) and Beauveria bassiana (strain KY1115) caused a significantly higher mortality in PTM eggs, larvae, and pupae. Median lethal concentration (LC₅₀) of both strains prolonged PTM immature development, shortened adult longevity, and reduced fecundity and life table parameters in terms of intrinsic rate of increase (r_m), net reproductive rate (R₀), and finite rate of increase (λ). The LC₅₀ value of KY1136 (1.9 × 10⁶ spores/mL) was lower than that of KY1115 (9.0 × 10⁶ spores/mL), indicating the greater potential for biological control of PTM by KY1136. Both strains had no significant impact on P. zhonghuajia survival and reproduction. Increasing P. zhonghuajia density reduced PTM feeding and pupation rate, while the combined application of P. zhonghuajia and entomopathogenic fungi had no additional effect in inhabiting PTM feeding and pupation.

Conclusion: Entomopathogenic fungal strains Cordyceps fumosorosea KY1136 and Beauveria bassiana KY1115 are the potential biological control agents of PTM, but do not impose a negative impact on the natural enemy. Our study provides insights into the integrated pest management of PTM by combining the entomopathogenic fungi and an ectoparasitic mite. © 2024 Society of Chemical Industry.

Keywords: Beauveria bassiana; Cordyceps fumosorosea; Phthorimaea operculella; Pyemotes zhonghuajia; integrated pest management; survival and reproduction.

Abstract

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