Location: Southern Insect Management Research
2019 Annual Report
Accomplishments
1. Field efficacy of Beauveria bassiana for control of the tarnished plant bug. Microbial insecticides are an important component of many insect pest management programs. Field experiments to determine mortalities and estimate lethal doses of potential microbial insecticides including the native Delta strain NI8 and the commercial strain GHA on feral tarnished plant bug populations on cotton were completed and published. Results indicated that B. bassiana applications resulted in decreased survival of tarnished plant bugs by >50% regardless of the isolate by direct spray or contact. This is the first study conducted in a production cotton field to measure the effect of B. bassiana on TPB populations in cotton. This study will impact the development of non-chemical control methods used in cotton integrated pest management systems across the southern United States.
Review Publications
Blanco, C., Finkenbinder, C., Morris, A., Blenderman, D., Portilla, M. 2018. Simple methods to devitalize eggs and larvae of Heliothis virescens and Helicoverpa zea under laboratory conditions. Southwestern Entomologist. 43(3):563-569. https://doi.org/10.3958/059.043.0301.
Portilla, M., Abbas, H.K., Accinelli, C., Luttrell, R.G. 2018. Laboratory and field investigations on compatibility of Beauveria bassiana spores with a sprayable bioplastic formulation for application in the biocontrol of tarnished plant bug in cotton. Journal of Economic Entomology. 112(2):549-557. https://doi.org/10.1093/JEE/toy382.
