Velavan, Viswakethu and Dhanapal, Rajendran and Ramkumar, Govindaraju and Karthi, Sengodan and Senthil-Nathan, Sengottayan and Ndomba, Osmund A. and Kweka, Eliningaya J. (2022) Characterization and Evaluation of Metarhizium spp. (Metsch.) Sorokin Isolates for Their Temperature Tolerance. Journal of Fungi, 8 (68).

[thumbnail of Characterization_and_Evaluation_of_Metarhizium_spp.pdf] Text
Characterization_and_Evaluation_of_Metarhizium_spp.pdf - Published Version
Available under License Creative Commons Attribution.

Download (3MB)

Abstract

A field survey was done in teak (Tectona grandis F.) forests in South India to explore the entomopathogenic effect of Metarhizium anisopliae (Ascomycota: Sordariomycetes) against teak defoliator, Hyblaea puera (Lepidoptera: Hyblaeidae). About 300 soils and infected insect samples were collected during the survey and thirty-six fungal isolates were isolated from soil and insect samples and characterized. The fungi were cultured on PDAY with dodine and antibiotics. Generally, the EPF culture was incubated at 27 C in darkness for 15 days. Virulence of the Entomopathogenic Fungi (EPF) ability to germinate under cold and heat temperatures was assessed in a culture impregnated with conidia. In the experiment, it was found that for the first time Metarhizium quizhouense, Metarhizium robertsii, and Metarhizium majus species caused significantly higher mortality to hosts. These isolates of M. anisopliae, M. robertsii, M. majus, and M. quizhouense were all considered to be effective virulent and environmentally adaptive. The Metarhizium isolates were recommended as effective bio-control agents through the field investigation of teak defoliator Hyblaea puera from South India forest. This study paves the way to utilize the indigenous isolates of EPF for the control of teak defoliator and to combat the pests thatare resistant to insecticide.

Item Type: Article
Additional Information: Copyright of this article belongs to 2022 by the authors. Licensee MDPI, Basel, Switzerland. This article is an open access article distributed under the terms and conditions of the Creative Commons Attribution (CC BY) license (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/).
Uncontrolled Keywords: Metarhizium anisopliae; Metarhizium robertsii; Metarhizium majus; Metarhizium quizhouense; chitinase; protease; temperature tolerance; Hyblaea puera
Subjects: A ATREE Publications > G Journal Papers
Divisions: ATREE Publications
Depositing User: Ms Suchithra R
Date Deposited: 07 Oct 2025 06:23
Last Modified: 07 Oct 2025 06:23
URI: http://archives.atree.org/id/eprint/953

Actions (login required)

View Item
View Item