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ARS Home » Plains Area » Sidney, Montana » Northern Plains Agricultural Research Laboratory » Pest Management Research » Research » Publications at this Location » Publication #250849
Title: Susceptibility of Preimaginal Western Cherry Fruit Fly, Rhagoletis indifferens (Diptera: Tephritidae) to Beauveria bassiana (Balsamo) Vuillemin Clavicipitaceae (Hypocreales)

Author
item COSSENTINE, JOAN - Agriculture Canada
item THISTLEWOOD, H. - Agriculture Canada
item GOETTEL, M. - Agriculture Canada
item Jaronski, Stefan

Submitted to: Journal of Invertebrate Pathology
Publication Type: Peer Reviewed Journal
Publication Acceptance Date: 2/15/2010
Publication Date: 2/19/2010
Citation: Cossentine, J., Thistlewood, H., Goettel, M., Jaronski, S. 2010. Susceptibility of Preimaginal Western Cherry Fruit Fly, Rhagoletis indifferens (Diptera: Tephritidae) to Beauveria bassiana (Balsamo) Vuillemin Clavicipitaceae (Hypocreales). Journal of Invertebrate Pathology. 104(2): 105-109.

Interpretive Summary: This report summarizes laboratory data indicating that the western cherry fruit fly, a serious pest in western Canada and northwestern U.S. cherries, is susceptible to a commercial U.S. fungus, Beauveria bassiana strain GHA, under simulated natural exposure conditions. These data support the possible utility of the fungus in controlling the fruit fly and pave the way for field trials.

Technical Abstract: Last instar larvae of the western cherry fruit fly, Rhagoletis indifferens, were infected by isolates of Beauveria bassiana incorporated into sterile sand and non-sterile orchard soil. Over 20 % of buried R. indifferens pupae and over 80 % of larvae entering sand treated with either of two B. bassiana isolates, exhibited mycosis in the pupal stage. When pre-pupal larvae burrowed into B. bassiana isolate GHA (BotaniGard) treated non-sterile cherry orchard soil, the incidence of mycosis, on both the puparium and internally developing pupa, increased with dose. Internal pupal tissues were found to contain virulent B. bassiana. Increasing the soil moisture level from 20 to 35 % field holding capacity did not have an effect on the percentage of mycosed pupae in last instar trials. This is the first evidence that the soil-resident preimaginal stages of Rhagoletis indifferens are susceptible to infection by B. bassiana.