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Agronomy
Volume 15
Issue 11
10.3390/agronomy15112488
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Article

Biological Control Potential of Entomopathogenic Fungi Against Aleurocanthus spiniferus: Field Trials on Citrus sinensis in Agroforestry Ecosystems

by
Spiridon Mantzoukas
1,*,
Vasileios Papantzikos
2,
Thomais Sourouni
2,
Chrysanthi Zarmakoupi
2,
Alexandros Margaritis
2,
Panagiotis A. Eliopoulos
3 and
George Patakioutas
2
1
Institute of Mediterranean Forest Ecosystems, Terma Alkmanos, Ilissia Zografou, 11528 Athens, Greece
2
Department of Agriculture, University of Ioannina, Arta Campus, 47100 Arta, Greece
3
Laboratory of Plant Health Management, Department of Agrotechnology, University of Thessaly, Geopolis, 41500 Larissa, Greece
*
Author to whom correspondence should be addressed.
Agronomy 2025, 15(11), 2488; https://doi.org/10.3390/agronomy15112488 (registering DOI)
Submission received: 3 October 2025 / Revised: 22 October 2025 / Accepted: 25 October 2025 / Published: 26 October 2025
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Research Progress in Sustainable Pest and Disease Control of Fruit Tree)
Versions Notes

Abstract

The citrus spiny whitefly Aleurocanthus spiniferus (Quaintance), recently found in Greece, causes severe damage to the leaves and fruits of tree crops, and treatment against it is urgent. In this work, integrated treatments for the management of the A. spiniferus pest on Citrus sinensis (L.) trees, which causes intense damage to orange orchards, were studied. The experiment was carried out in an orange orchard on the Aitoloakarnania plain, an agroforestry ecosystem, and three treatments were set up: (i) a combined treatment comprising the entomopathogenic fungi Beauveria bassiana and Cordyceps fumosorosea, (ii) treatment with the application of a tetramic acid-based formulation, (iii) the control treatment. The damage caused by A. spiniferus was estimated by determining the pest stages on the C. sinensis leaves, samples of which were collected and examined at the entomology laboratory of the Agriculture Faculty of the University of Ioannina for the calculation of populations. The experimental results of this work encourage us to further investigate the use of the treatments against whiteflies, highlighting the potential of EPF for integrated pest management (IPM) in citrus trees.
Keywords: Aleyrodidae; biological control; entomopathogenic fungi; agroforestry ecosystems Aleyrodidae; biological control; entomopathogenic fungi; agroforestry ecosystems

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MDPI and ACS Style

Mantzoukas, S.; Papantzikos, V.; Sourouni, T.; Zarmakoupi, C.; Margaritis, A.; Eliopoulos, P.A.; Patakioutas, G. Biological Control Potential of Entomopathogenic Fungi Against Aleurocanthus spiniferus: Field Trials on Citrus sinensis in Agroforestry Ecosystems. Agronomy 2025, 15, 2488. https://doi.org/10.3390/agronomy15112488

AMA Style

Mantzoukas S, Papantzikos V, Sourouni T, Zarmakoupi C, Margaritis A, Eliopoulos PA, Patakioutas G. Biological Control Potential of Entomopathogenic Fungi Against Aleurocanthus spiniferus: Field Trials on Citrus sinensis in Agroforestry Ecosystems. Agronomy. 2025; 15(11):2488. https://doi.org/10.3390/agronomy15112488

Chicago/Turabian Style

Mantzoukas, Spiridon, Vasileios Papantzikos, Thomais Sourouni, Chrysanthi Zarmakoupi, Alexandros Margaritis, Panagiotis A. Eliopoulos, and George Patakioutas. 2025. "Biological Control Potential of Entomopathogenic Fungi Against Aleurocanthus spiniferus: Field Trials on Citrus sinensis in Agroforestry Ecosystems" Agronomy 15, no. 11: 2488. https://doi.org/10.3390/agronomy15112488

APA Style

Mantzoukas, S., Papantzikos, V., Sourouni, T., Zarmakoupi, C., Margaritis, A., Eliopoulos, P. A., & Patakioutas, G. (2025). Biological Control Potential of Entomopathogenic Fungi Against Aleurocanthus spiniferus: Field Trials on Citrus sinensis in Agroforestry Ecosystems. Agronomy, 15(11), 2488. https://doi.org/10.3390/agronomy15112488

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