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ARS Home » Southeast Area » Stoneville, Mississippi » Southern Insect Management Research » Research » Publications at this Location » Publication #405116
Research Project: Insect Control and Resistance Management in Corn, Cotton, Sorghum, Soybean, and Sweet Potato, and Alternative Approaches to Tarnished Plant Bug Control in the Southern United States

Location: Southern Insect Management Research

Title: Effects of Beauveria bassiana on the growth and reproductive rates of Nezara viridula (Heteroptera: Pentatomidae).

Author
item Portilla, Maribel
item Parys, Katherine
item Glover, James
item Reddy, Gadi V.P.

Submitted to: Entomological Society of America Annual Meeting
Publication Type: Abstract Only
Publication Acceptance Date: 9/5/2023
Publication Date: N/A
Citation: N/A

Interpretive Summary: The southern green stink bug (SGSB) is a pest of considerable economical interest that has spread in tropical and subtropical regions and causes severe damage to many agronomically important crops. In the Southern United States and other countries, its control relies heavily upon insecticides, which has caused issues with pesticide resistance and population resurgences. This paper examined the effect of two strains of Beauveria bassiana (one commercial and one native) on the growth and reproductive rates of SGSB populations exposed to four concentrations of these pathogenic fungi. The collected data permitted the calculation functions of demographic parameters, which were computed over adult’s entire life. The growth and reproductive rate and demographic parameter values of SGSB were gradually affected when the concentrations of the native strain were increasing, while only the high concentration of the commercial strain affected the growth rates of SGSB populations.

Technical Abstract: This study followed up previous research that used a laboratory colony of the southern green stink bug, Nezara viridula L. (Heteroptera: Pentatomidae) to evaluate the effect of two strains of Beauveria bassiana (Balsamo-Crivelli) Vuillemin (Hypocreales: Cordycipitaceae) on fecundity and female and male susceptibility using four concentrations (106, 107, 108, and 109 spores/g) of native (NI8) and commercial (GHA) entomopathogenic fungi alongside a water-control [1]. The present study used cumulative oviposition and survival of those nine populations to calculate the demo-graphic parameters of this insect. Two computations were done based on total offspring and eggs with developed embryo only. Net reproductive rates (Ro) on populations sprayed with NI8 calcu-ated based on total offspring were gradually affected (72.55, 85.50, 58.15, and 37,60 females/newborn female) compared with water-control (87.65). Populations sprayed with GHA, only the highest concentration (109) was lower than control (27.15). The calculated Ro values based on fertile egg were much lower as expected with 60.75, 61.45, 45.45, and 32.05 females/newborn female from lowest to highest concentrations of NI8 and 21.50 for GHA highest concentration compared with water-control (78.45). These results demonstrated that both native and commercial strains affected embryo development that decreased growth and reproductive rates of N. viridula populations.