Abstract

GARCIA D, ANAMARÍA; BUSTILLO P, ALEX ENRIQUE; CASTRO V, ULISES  and  ARENAS B, YOLIMA. Selection of entomopathogenic fungi to control spittlebugs (Hemiptera: Cercopidae) of sugar cane in Colombia. Rev. Colomb. Entomol. [online]. 2012, vol.38, n.2, pp.252-259. ISSN 0120-0488.

Spittlebugs (Hemiptera: Cercopidae) can become into a menace to the sugar cane pest in Colombia. Aeneolamia varia was detected in 2007 in the central area of Cauca Valley, which made sugar cane producers to take emergency measures to control this pest. Another species Zulia carbonaria is also present infesting sugar cane, but due to A. varia quarantine restrictions, Z. carbonaria was used in this research. Galleria mellonella larvae were used as a bait to obtain entomopathogenic fungi from soil samples. Fungi isolates were reactivated using adults of Z. carbonaria and characterized by measuring the speed of development, sporulation, viability and pathogenicity. Twenty-six entomopathogenic fungi were obtained 15 strains of Metarhizium anisopliae and 11 strains of Paecilomyces lilacinus, but only eight strains of M. anisopliae and six of P. lilacinus, were pathogenic to adults of Z. carbonaria. The isolates of M. anisopliae: CCMa0907 and P. lilacinus: CCPL0801, CCPL0904, CCPL0802, CCPL0805, had the best characteristics of growth, viability and sporulation. Finally, a protocol to conduct a bioassay was developed, under greenhouse conditions, to test strains of pathogenic fungi to control sugarcane spittlebugs.

Keywords : Zulia carbonaria; Aeneolamia varia; Metarhizium anisopliae; Paecilomyces lilacinus.

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