title: Sprays of emulsifiable Beauveria bassiana formulation are ovicidal towards Tetranychus urticae (Acari: Tetranychidae) at various regimes of temperature and humidity.
abstract: Aerial conidia of Beauveria bassiana in an emulsifiable formulation germinated by >95% after 24 h exposure to the regimes of 20, 25 and 30 degrees C with 51%, 74% and 95% RH. Ovicidal activities of the formulation towards two-spotted spider mite, Tetranychus urticae, were assayed at the concentrations of 0, 18, 160 and 693 conidia mm(-2) sprayed separately onto fava bean leaves including 39 (25-76) eggs per capita. All the sprayed eggs on the leaves were directly exposed to the different regimes for hatch after 24 h maintenance in covered Petri dishes. Generally, hatched proportions increased over post-spray days and decreased with the elevated fungal concentrations; no more eggs hatched from day 9 or 10 onwards. Based on the counts of the hatched/non-hatched eggs in the different regimes, the final egg mortalities were 15.0-40.4%, 48.9-66.6% and 62.9-87.5% at the low, medium and high concentrations, respectively, but only 5.6-11.3% in blank controls. The RH effect on the fungal action was significant at 20 and 25 degrees C but not at 30 degrees C whereas the effect of temperature was significant at 51% and 74% RH but not at 95% RH. Probit analysis of the egg mortalities versus the fungal sprays generated median lethal concentrations (LC(50)) of 65-320 conidia mm(-2) at all the regimes, and of only 65-78 conidia mm(-2) at 25-30 degrees C with 74-95% RH. The results highlight ovicidal activities of the emulsifiable formulation against the mite species at the tested regimes and its potential use in spider mite control.
authors.affiliation: Institute of Microbiology, College of Life Sciences, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, Zhejiang, 310058, China.
authors.forename: Wei-Bing
authors.initials: WB
authors.lastname: Shi
authors.forename: Ming-Guang
authors.initials: MG
authors.lastname: Feng
authors.forename: Shu-Sheng
authors.initials: SS
authors.lastname: Liu
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D052982:Beauveria / Q000502:physiology*; D005260:Female; D054884:Host-Pathogen Interactions; D006813:Humidity; D007306:Insecticides / Q000008:administration & dosage; D007928:Lethal Dose 50; D010063:Ovum / Q000382:microbiology*; D010572:Pest Control, Biological; D013172:Spores, Fungal / Q000502:physiology; D013696:Temperature; D040102:Tetranychidae / Q000382:microbiology*
chemical_list: D007306:Insecticides