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5 October 2019 Pathogenicity of an Indigenous Strain of the Entomopathogenic Fungus Metarhizium anisopliae (Hypocreales: Clavicipitaceae) (MET-GRA4 Strain) as a Potential Biological Control Agent Against the Red Palm Weevil (Coleoptera: Dryophthoridae)
I. Ishak, L. C. Ng, M. Haris-Hussain, J. Jalinas, A. B. Idris, Z. Azlina, A. Samsudin, A. A. Wahizatul
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Abstract

Metarhizium anisopliae Metchnikoff (Hypocreales: Clavicipitaceae) is a fungal pathogen that causes disease in various insect pests, and it can be exploited and developed as a biological control agent to combat the red palm weevil, Rhynchophorus ferrugineus Olivier (Coleoptera: Dryophthoridae). The study on indigenous isolates is crucial especially for development of bioinsecticides in the future. The M. anisopliae strain called MET-GRA4 was tested for pathogenicity against adult red palm weevil and treated in vitro with different spore viabilities. The isolates exhibited pathogenicity with 100% mortality 21 d postinfection. The median lethal time (LT50) for 85% viable spores was 8.6 d, while 39% viable spores had an LT50 value of 21.37 d, with 92 and 16.6% mycosis, respectively. The species MET-GRA4 strain was molecularly characterized using ITS1 and ITS4 from pure culture (Isolate A), mass-produced spores (Isolate B), and infected red palm weevil cadavers (Isolate C). The DNA sequences obtained matched M. anisopliae sequences, with 99% similarity. This new isolate of M. anisopliae has potential as a targeted bioinsecticide for management of red palm weevil.

© The Author(s) 2019. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of Entomological Society of America. All rights reserved. For permissions, please e-mail: journals.permissions@oup.com.
I. Ishak, L. C. Ng, M. Haris-Hussain, J. Jalinas, A. B. Idris, Z. Azlina, A. Samsudin, and A. A. Wahizatul "Pathogenicity of an Indigenous Strain of the Entomopathogenic Fungus Metarhizium anisopliae (Hypocreales: Clavicipitaceae) (MET-GRA4 Strain) as a Potential Biological Control Agent Against the Red Palm Weevil (Coleoptera: Dryophthoridae)," Journal of Economic Entomology 113(1), 43-49, (5 October 2019). https://doi.org/10.1093/jee/toz233
Received: 17 April 2019; Accepted: 1 August 2019; Published: 5 October 2019
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KEYWORDS
bioinsecticide
entomopathogenic fungi
Metarhizium anisopliae
red palm weevil
Rhynchophorus ferrugineus
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