Effect of Beauveria bassiana (Bals.) Vuill. and Metarhizium anisopliae (Metsch.) Sorok. on Biological Characteristics of Diatraea saccharalis F. (Lepidoptera: Crambidae) - DOI: 10.4025/actascibiolsci.v30i2.3627

Abstract

The sugarcane borer Diatraea saccharalis F. is considered one of the major sugarcane pests in the American continent. Among control methods, the use of entomopathogenic fungi has been broadly recommended to manage sugarcane pests, including other sugarcane borers. Therefore, this study investigated the effects of different concentrations of Beauveria bassiana (Bals.) Vuill and Metarhizium anisopliae (Metch.) Sorok on biological characteristics of the sugarcane borer. Third-instar larvae of D. saccharalis were fungi-treated using the concentrations of 10³, 10⁴ and 10⁵ conidia mL^-1. Larvae treated with 10⁵ conidia mL^-1 of B. bassiana showed lower survival (56.6%) compared to untreated larvae (90%). Adults originated from treated larvae laid a lower number of eggs and exhibited lower viability, and lived less compared to adults of untreated larvae. Also, larvae treated with 10⁵ conidia mL^-1 of M. anisopliae and adults originated from those larvae presented reduced performance compared to untreated larvae. Results indicate that B. bassiana and M. anisopliae are pathogenic to D. saccharalis larvae and affect its biology. Hence, they have potential to be used against this pest.