Ten strains of the entomopathogenic fungi Metarhizium anisopliae and Beauveria bassiana were evaluated to find the most effective strain for optimization studies. The first criterion tested for strain selection was the mortality (> 50%) of Spodoptera litura larvae after inoculation of the fungus for 4 days. Results on several bioassays revealed that B. bassiana BNBCRC showed the most virulence ...

This study determined the pathogenicity of Metarhizium anisopliae strain SD-3 against invasive red palm weevil (RPW), Rhynchophorus ferrugineus Olivier (coleoptera:curculionidae) larvae in Hainan Province, China. Inoculation of 1 × 108 conidia/mL caused 100 % mortality of R. ferrugineus, indicating that the conidia of strain SD-3 were highly virulent. The process of invasion mechanism was showe...

Metarhizium anisopliae and Beauveria bassiana are ubiquitous insect pathogens and possible plant symbionts, as some strains are endophytic or colonize the rhizosphere. We evaluated 11 strains of M. anisopliae and B. bassiana, and two soil saprophytes (the non-rhizospheric Aspergillus niger and the rhizosphere-competent Trichoderma harzianum) for their ability to germinate in bean root exudates ...

Microsclerotia (MS), overwintering structures produced by many plant pathogenic fungi, have not been described for Metarhizium anisopliae. Three strains of M. anisopliae--F52, TM109, and MA1200--formed MS in shake flask cultures using media with varying carbon concentrations and carbon-to-nitrogen (C:N) ratios. Under the conditions of this study, all strains produced MS, compact hyphal aggregat...

Title of Dissertation: USING THE FUNGUS METARHIZIUM ANISOPLIAE AS A MODEL SYSTEM TO STUDY THE ROLE OF GENE DUPLICATION, DIVERGENCE AND EXPRESSION IN ADAPTING TO PATHOGENICITY. Gang Hu , Doctor of Philosophy 2005 Directed By: Professor Raymond J. St. Leger Department of Entomology Fungal pathogens have been recorded for virtually all groups of multicellular organisms. They are the major cause of...

Genetically engineered maize producing the insecticidal protein Cry3Bb1 from Bacillus thuringiensis (Bt maize) is protected against corn rootworms (Diabrotica spp.), which are serious maize pests in North America and Europe. The aim of the present study was to investigate the interaction of Bt maize (event MON88017) and the entomopathogenic fungus Metarhizium anisopliae for controlling the west...

Entomopathogenic fungi, such as Metarhizium anisopliae and Beauveria bassiana, are being researched as alternatives to chemical adulticides to control mosquito vectors of malaria and dengue. Two cited concerns of fungal control include conidial viability and risks fungal entomopathogens pose to human health. We measured spore viability of 10 fungal isolates over 26 weeks and found a range of pe...

Entomopathogenic fungi are potential tools to biocontrol cicadellids and delphacids, two groups of insects that cause extensive damage to agricultural crops. However, bacteria living on the host cuticle may inhibit fungal growth. In the present work, following the molecular characterization of 10 strains of Bacillus isolated from the integument of cicadellids and delphacids, we selected isolate...