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ARS Home » Plains Area » Sidney, Montana » Northern Plains Agricultural Research Laboratory » Pest Management Research » Research » Publications at this Location » Publication #297991
Title: Entomopathogenic fungi in cornfields and their potential to manage larval western corn rootworm Diabrotica virgifera virgifera

Author
item RUDEEN, MELISSA - Iowa State University
item Jaronski, Stefan
item PETZOLD-MAXWELL, JENNIFER - Iowa State University
item GASSMAN, AARON - Iowa State University

Submitted to: Journal of Invertebrate Pathology
Publication Type: Peer Reviewed Journal
Publication Acceptance Date: 9/30/2013
Publication Date: 11/1/2013
Publication URL: http://handle.nal.usda.gov/10113/59438
Citation: Rudeen, M.L., Jaronski, S., Petzold-Maxwell, J.L., Gassman, A.J. 2013. Entomopathogenic fungi in cornfields and their potential to manage larval western corn rootworm Diabrotica virgifera virgifera. Journal of Invertebrate Pathology. 114(3):329–332.

Interpretive Summary: Insect pathogenic fungi are very common both in the soil and on plants and they affect many insect include the corn rootworm. The project reported here was to survey the soil in 10 Iowa farm fields to determine prevalence of these fungi. The two major species of insect pathogenic fungi were present in half of the sample d soils, and some of these were more efficacious than the current commercial fungus.

Technical Abstract: Entomopathogenic Ascomycete fungi are ubiquitous in soil and on phylloplanes, and are important natural enemies of many arthropods, including larval western corn rootworm, Diabrotica virgifera virgifera, which is a major pest of corn. We measured the prevalence of Beauveria bassiana and Metarhizium anisopliae sensu lato in ten cornfields in Iowa, USA by baiting with larval insects. Beauveria bassiana and M. anisopliae s.l. were present in 60% and 55% of soil samples, respectively. Subsequent laboratory bioassays found that some M. anisopliae s.l. collected from cornfields killed a greater proportion of D. v. virgifera larvae than a standard commercial strain.