Submitted to: Meeting Abstract
Publication Type: Proceedings
Publication Acceptance Date: June 9, 1996
Publication Date: N/A
Technical Abstract:
The use of insect pathogenic fungi for biological control of insect pests has been researched for more than 100 years, and during the past few decades operational control of a number of pests has been achieved on local and regional scales. Well-known examples include the use of Metarhizium anisopliae for suppression of sugar cane spittlebugs (Mahanarva posticata) in Brazil and applications of Beauveria bassiana to control pine caterpillars (Dendrolimus spp.) in China and Colorado potato beetles (Leptinotarsa decemlineata) in eastern Europe. However, with the possible exception of China, where B. bassiana is produced at many sites and applied against a broad range of pests, availability of mycoinsecticide products to private growers remains extremely limited. Recently, however, there has been an increasing interest in commercial development of entomopathogenic fungi. This interest has certainly been stimulated by the persistent problems of pesticide resistance and the growing economic and environmenta costs of chemical insecticide use, but also by a number of technical advances that appear to have the potential to increase the overall efficacy and reliability of hyphomycete mycoinsecticide preparations. This presentation will evaluate a broad range of promising new approaches and technologies, including more efficient industrial-scale production systems, improved formulation of conidia with oils and organosilicone wetting agents, and more efficient targeting of infested plant foliage through manipulation of hydraulic and air-assist spray parameters.
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