Author
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Jackson, Mark |
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Vega, Fernando |
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Poprawski, Tadeusz |
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Submitted to: American Society for Microbiology
Publication Type: Abstract Only Publication Acceptance Date: 6/3/1999 Publication Date: N/A Citation: N/A Interpretive Summary: Technical Abstract: The commercial use of microbial pathogens of insects as biopesticides requires the development of low-cost methods of producing and stabilizing these agents. Spores of the fungus Paecilomyces fumosoroseus have been shown to rapidly infect and kill the silverleaf whitefly (Bemisia argentifolii), a serious agronomic pest which has become resistant to numerous chemical controls. A submerged culture method was developed for rapidly producing high concentrations of desiccation tolerant spores of P. fumosoroseus. Using our production medium and protocol, 1-2 x 10**9 spores/ml were produced after 2 days growth. When these spores were produced in media containing an appropriate source and concentration of nitrogen, 70-80% of the spores survived freeze-drying or air-drying. The survival of air-dried spores of P. fumosoroseus stored at 4 deg C was enhanced when air-drying was performed at relative humidities greater than 65%. Spores of P. fumosoroseus obtained using our production method, whether fresh or dried, have been shown to be more effective in killing the silverleaf whitefly than aerial-produced conidia of P. fumosoroseus. These studies suggest that liquid culture produced spores of P. fumosoroseus represent a commercially promising biopesticide for the control of the silverleaf whitefly. |
