Biological Control of the Raspberry Eriophyoid Mite Phyllocoptes gracilis Using Entomopathogenic Fungi
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School of Agricultural, Forest and Food Sciences HAFL, Bern University of Applied Sciences, Länggasse 85, 3052 Zollikofen, Switzerland
2
Agroscope, Plant Production Systems, Route des Eterpys 18, 1964 Conthey, Switzerland
*
Author to whom correspondence should be addressed.
Academic Editor: Giovanni Bubici
Horticulturae 2021, 7(3), 54; https://doi.org/10.3390/horticulturae7030054
Received: 26 January 2021
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Revised: 15 March 2021
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Accepted: 15 March 2021
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Published: 18 March 2021
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Microbe-Assisted Production of Horticultural Crops)
There is an urgent need to develop biological control methods against the eriophyoid mite, Phyllocoptes gracilis, which causes significant losses in organic raspberry production in Europe. The use of entomopathogenic fungi (EF) is a sustainable alternative to conventional chemical pesticides, reducing the risks of pesticide resistance and other negative environmental impacts of agriculture. The objective of this study was to assess the pathogenicity of three strains of EF, two of Beauveria bassiana and one of Metarhizium anisopliae, on P. gracilis under laboratory conditions. Fungal spore suspensions (1 × 107 spores per mL) were sprayed on detached leaves infested with P. gracilis. Treated mites were kept under controlled conditions (25 ± 3 °C, 72 ± 10% relative humidity and photoperiod of 16:8 (light/dark)) and mite mortality was assessed three, five and seven days after inoculation. At all three measurement points (days after inoculation), the mortality of P. gracilis was highest for B. bassiana strain BB 1.1 and M. anisopliae strain MA 10.1. Our data demonstrate that EFs are promising candidates for the development of biological control agents against P. gracilis in raspberry crops.
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Keywords:
biological control; Eriophyidae; Phyllocoptes gracilis; entomopathogenic fungi; Beauveria bassiana; Metarhizium anisopliae
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MDPI and ACS Style
Minguely, C.; Norgrove, L.; Burren, A.; Christ, B. Biological Control of the Raspberry Eriophyoid Mite Phyllocoptes gracilis Using Entomopathogenic Fungi. Horticulturae 2021, 7, 54. https://doi.org/10.3390/horticulturae7030054
AMA Style
Minguely C, Norgrove L, Burren A, Christ B. Biological Control of the Raspberry Eriophyoid Mite Phyllocoptes gracilis Using Entomopathogenic Fungi. Horticulturae. 2021; 7(3):54. https://doi.org/10.3390/horticulturae7030054
Chicago/Turabian StyleMinguely, Camille, Lindsey Norgrove, Alexander Burren, and Bastien Christ. 2021. "Biological Control of the Raspberry Eriophyoid Mite Phyllocoptes gracilis Using Entomopathogenic Fungi" Horticulturae 7, no. 3: 54. https://doi.org/10.3390/horticulturae7030054
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