Skip to main content
ARS Home » Midwest Area » Peoria, Illinois » National Center for Agricultural Utilization Research » Crop Bioprotection Research » Research » Publications at this Location » Publication #404865
Research Project: Discovery and Production of Beneficial Microbes for Control of Agricultural Pests through Integration into Sustainable Agricultural Production Systems

Location: Crop Bioprotection Research

Title: Additives that enhance kill rates of maize pest insects by commercial formulations of B. bassiana.

Author
item Dowd, Patrick

Submitted to: Meeting Abstract
Publication Type: Abstract Only
Publication Acceptance Date: 8/14/2023
Publication Date: N/A
Citation: N/A

Interpretive Summary:

Technical Abstract: Plant pathogen defensive molecules can interfere with the efficacy of microbial insect control agents. A series of compounds, most of which are food additives or supplements, were evaluated for their ability to enhance insect mortality over time using maize caterpillar pests and commercial formulations of two strains of the insect entomopathogen Beauveria bassiana. Some compounds were found to significantly increase the percent mortality over time, while others significantly increased the amount of leaf colonization by B. bassiana. Incorporation of effective compounds into insect microbial biocontrol formulations should increase the efficacy of relevant microbial biocontrol agents, thereby increasing the degree of adoption of environmentally safer microbial control agents and providing a safer product for producers and consumers.