First Screening of Entomopathogenic Nematodes and Fungus as Biocontrol Agents against an Emerging Pest of Sugarcane, Cacosceles newmannii (Coleoptera: Cerambycidae)
1
Department of Conservation Ecology and Entomology, Faculty of AgriSciences, Stellenbosch University, Private Bag X1, Matieland 7602, South Africa
2
South African Sugarcane Research Institute, 170 Flanders Drive, Mount Edgecombe, KwaZulu-Natal 4300, South Africa
*
Author to whom correspondence should be addressed.
Insects 2019, 10(4), 117; https://doi.org/10.3390/insects10040117
Received: 14 March 2019 / Revised: 8 April 2019 / Accepted: 16 April 2019 / Published: 25 April 2019
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Ecology and Pest Management of Sugarcane Insects)
Abstract
Cacosceles newmannii (Coleoptera: Cerambycidae) is an emerging pest of sugarcane in South Africa. The larvae of this cerambycid beetle live within the sugarcane stalk and drill galleries that considerably reduce sugar production. To provide an alternative to chemical control, entomopathogenic nematodes and fungus were investigated as potential biological control agents to be used in an integrated pest management system. The nematodes Steinernema yirgalemense, S. jeffreyense, Heterorhabditis indica, and different concentrations of the fungus Metarhizium pinghaense were screened for efficacy (i.e., mortality rate) against larvae of C. newmannii. The different biocontrol agents used, revealed a low level of pathogenicity to C. newmannii larvae, when compared to control treatments. View Full-TextKeywords:
Cacosceles newmannii; Metarhizium pinghaense; sugarcane; entomopathogens; EPN; EPF; Xenorhabdus khoisanae
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Supplementary materials
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Externally hosted supplementary file 1
Doi: 10.6084/m9.figshare.7477967
Link: https://figshare.com/s/4a7340f197a29603cb61
Description: Steinernema jeffreyense infection on a Cacosceles newmannii larva
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Javal, M.; Terblanche, J.S.; Conlong, D.E.; Malan, A.P. First Screening of Entomopathogenic Nematodes and Fungus as Biocontrol Agents against an Emerging Pest of Sugarcane, Cacosceles newmannii (Coleoptera: Cerambycidae). Insects 2019, 10, 117.
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