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Title: MOLECULAR CHARACTERIZATION AND COMPARATIVE VIRULENCE OF BEAUVERIA BASSIANA ISOLATES FOR CONTROL OF THE SHORE FLY, SCATELLA STAGNALIS, ON GREENHOUSE CROPS

Author
item FILOTAS, M - CORNELL UNIVERSITY
item CASTRILLO, LOUELA - CORNELL UNIVERSITY
item Wraight, Stephen
item Vandenberg, John
item SANDERSON, J - CORNELL UNIVERSITY

Submitted to: Society for Invertebrate Pathology Annual Meeting Proceedings
Publication Type: Proceedings
Publication Acceptance Date: 8/15/2003
Publication Date: 8/15/2003
Citation: Filotas, M.J., Castrillo, L.A., Wraight, S.P., Vandenberg, J.D., Sanderson, J. 2003. Molecular characterization and comparative virulence of beauveria bassiana isolates for control of the shore fly, scatella stagnalis, on greenhouse crops. Society for Invertebrate Pathology Annual Meeting Proceedings. 36:50.

Interpretive Summary:

Technical Abstract: The shore fly, Scatella stagnalis, commonly occurs in large numbers in commercial greenhouses, where it is both a nuisance pest and a vector of several plant pathogens. High density populations can be difficult to suppress with chemicals, and there are no biological control products currently registered in the United States. We conducted a series of studies to assess the diversity of B. bassiana isolates obtained from a colony of shore flies and compare them to commercially available B. bassiana. RAPD-PCR was used to assess genetic variation of B. bassiana isolated from S. stagnalis adults and pupae, and adults of Hexacola neoscatellae, a hymenopteran parasitoid of the shore fly. Sixteen single spore isolates were resolved into three distinct genotypes using 12 primers. Two of the more common genotypes were found to be similar to ARSEF 252 and 5813, isolated from laboratory colonies of the Colorado potato beetle in Maine and Michigan, respectively. The third genotype was observed in only one isolate obtained from a S. stagnalis pupa. None of the genotypes were similar to GHA, the basis for the commercial B. bassiana product Botanigard. Further genetic analyses are planned for B. bassiana isolates obtained from the algal food source of these insects to ascertain whether this could be a natural repository for fungal inocula. Additionally, bioassays are currently underway to assess virulence of the three genotypes to all life stages of S. stagnalis and to compare this to that of commercially-available isolates of B. bassiana.