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ARS Home » Southeast Area » Tifton, Georgia » Crop Protection and Management Research » Research » Publications at this Location » Publication #112262
Title: OCCURRENCE OF ENTOMOPATHOGENS OF SPODOPTERA FRUGIPERDA (LEPIDOPTERA: NOCTUIDAE) IN THE MEXICAN STATES OF MICHOACAN, COLIMA, JALISCO, AND TAMAULIPAS

Author
item LEZAMA-GUTIERREZ, ROBERTO - UNIV. OF COLIMA
item Hamm, John
item MOLINA-OCHOA, JAIME - UNIV. OF COLIMA
item LOPEZ-EDWARDS, MARILU - UNIV. OF COLIMA
item PESCADOR-RUBIO, ALFONSO - UNIV. OF COLIMA
item GONZALEZ-RAMIREZ, MARTIN - UNIV. OF COLIMA
item STYLER, ELOISE - UGA

Submitted to: Florida Entomologist
Publication Type: Peer Reviewed Journal
Publication Acceptance Date: 3/1/2001
Publication Date: N/A
Citation: N/A

Interpretive Summary: The fall armyworm is an important pest of corn, sorghum, and grasses in the United States and Mexico as well as in much of Central and South America. Because the fall armyworm cannot overwinter in the colder parts of the U.S. it migrates north from its overwintering areas in southern Florida, southern Texas and Mexico each spring. Thus, increased control of the fall armyworm population in Mexico would benefit agriculture in both Mexico and the U.S. A survey of pathogens infecting fall armyworm larvae on corn and sorghum in the Mexican states of Jalisco, Colima, Michoac n, and Tamaulipas was made in an effort to increase our potential for biological control of fall armyworm. Soil samples from these areas were also tested for insect pathogenic bacteria, fungi and nematodes. Four species of fungi, an unidentified species of mermithid nematode, an undescribed species of microsporidan and an ascovirus were found infecting fall armyworm larvae. Three species of insect pathogenic fungi, at least two species of insect pathogenic nematodes and the bacteria, Bacillus thuringiensis were isolated from soil samples. The distribution of the various pathogens indicates a potential for increasing biological control by moving some of the pathogens from one area to another. Additional research should be done on the biology of the microsporidian and the mermithid nematode to determine their potential for biological control. Also additional research should be done to determine the species and strains of the insect pathogenic nematodes isolated from the soil and their potential for biological control of fall armyworm.

Technical Abstract: Fall armyworm, Spodoptera frugiperda (J. E. Smith) larvae were collected from corn and sorghum in the Mexican states of Michoac n, Colima, Jalisco, and Tamaulipas, Mexico in 1998. A total of 2219 larvae from 20 locations were examined for entomopathogens and mermithid nematodes. Four species of entomopathogenic fungi (an entomophthorales, Beauveria bassiana, Nomuraea rileyi, and Hirsutella sp.) were recovered from 1.94% of larvae. An unidentified microsporidian was recovered from 1.44% of larvae, an ascovirus from 0.1% of larvae. Unidentified mermithid nematodes were recovered from 2.2% of larvae. Soil samples from 19 of the locations exposed to Galleria mellonella larvae produced three species of entomopathogenic fungi (Paecilomyces fumosoroesus, B. bassiana , and Metarhizium anisopliae), two genera of entomopathogenic nematodes (Steinernema sp. and Heterorhabditis sp.) and the entomopathogenic bacteria Bacillus thuringiensis.