title: Beauveria bassiana strains for biological control of Cosmopolites sordidus (Germ.) (Coleoptera: Curculionidae) in plantain.
abstract: The objective of this study was to select strains of Beauveria bassiana for controlling Cosmopolites sordidus (Germ.) in plantain farms (cv. Terra) of the "Recôncavo" and southern regions in the state of Bahia, Brazil. The virulence of 32 B. bassiana isolates against C. sordidus was determined under laboratory conditions. Three isolates (CNPMF 407, CNPMF 218, and CNPMF 416) were selected for evaluation under field conditions in plantations located in the counties of Mutuípe and Wenceslau Guimarães. Population of C. sordidus was estimated every 15 days by using pseudostem traps. The efficiency of the three strains of B. bassiana was compared to chemical control (carbofuran, 4 g/trap) and absence of control. Carbofuran caused around 90% of adult mortality after 12 months, with a reduction in the population of C. sordidus since the first evaluation. A low number of trapped insects was observed in the fungus-treated plots, suggesting the efficiency of the isolates in controlling the C. sordidus population. The strain CNPMF 218 was the most efficient in controlling C. sordidus adults in both locations, causing around 20% mortality, leading to 40% population size reduction after 12 months.
authors.affiliation: Embrapa Cassava & Fruits, C.P. 7, 44380-000 Cruz das Almas, BA, Brazil.
authors.forename: Marilene
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Fancelli
authors.forename: Alex Batista
authors.initials: AB
authors.lastname: Dias
authors.forename: Italo
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Delalibera
authors.forename: Sandra Cerqueira
authors.initials: SC
authors.lastname: de Jesus
authors.forename: Antonio Souza
authors.initials: AS
authors.lastname: do Nascimento
authors.forename: Sebastião de Oliveira e
authors.initials: Sde O
authors.lastname: Silva
authors.forename: Ranulfo Correa
authors.initials: RC
authors.lastname: Caldas
authors.forename: Carlos Alberto da Silva
authors.initials: CA
authors.lastname: Ledo
mesh_terms: D000375:Aging; D000818:Animals; D052982:Beauveria / Q000302:isolation & purification / Q000502:physiology*; D001517:Coleoptera / Q000254:growth & development / Q000382:microbiology*; D028521:Musa / Q000469:parasitology*; D010572:Pest Control, Biological; D011157:Population Dynamics