The potential for using entomopathogenic nematodes and fungi in the management of the maize weevil, Sitophilus zeamais (Motschulsky) (Coleoptera: Curculionidae)

Publication date: October 2018Source: Biological Control, Volume 125Author(s): George N. Mbata, Cleveland Ivey, David Shapiro-IlanAbstractMaize (Zea mays L.) is an important cereal crop that is cultivated globally. In storage, maize is infested by the maize weevil (Sitophilus zeamais Motchulsky). In sub-Saharan Africa where maize is an important staple crop, infestation by S. zeamais is severe. Chemical pesticides have been the key pest management tools for this pest but these practices come with consequences such as insect resistance to pesticides, food and environmental contamination, and depletion of non-target species. These challenges associated with use of chemical pesticides may be overcome by controlling this pest with natural enemies such as entomopathogens.In the laboratory, this study evaluated the pathogenicity of six entomopathogenic nematodes (EPN) – Heterorhabditis bacteriophora Poinar (Lewiston, and Oswego strains); H. indica Poinar, Karunakar, and David (Homl strain), H. georgiana (K22), Steinernema feltiae (SN), and S. carpocapsae (All), and two fungi namely, Beauveria bassiana (GHA) and Metarhizium brunneum (F52) to adult weevils (S. zeamais). All nematodes used in the study were pathogenic to adult weevils. However, S. carpocapsae was the most virulent to the adult weevils. High doses (1 × 109 conidia/mL) of the fungi application caused significant weevil mortality compared to the control. Subsequently, in a novel approach, this study established ...
Source: Biological Control - Category: Biology Source Type: research