Novel entomopathogenic fungi of tamil nadu soils and their pathogenicity on waxmoth larva (Galleria mellonella) Palle Pravallika1, Muthuswami M.1,*, Shanmugam P.S.2, Rajasree V.3, Kumar K.K.4, Beemrote Aruna5 1Department of Agricultural Entomology, Tamil Nadu Agricultural University, Coimbatore-641 003, Tamil Nadu, India 2Department of Pulses, Tamil Nadu Agricultural University, Coimbatore-641 003, Tamil Nadu, India 3Department of Horticulture, Agricultural College and Research Institute, Karur-639 001, Tamil Nadu, India 4Department of Plant Biotechnology, Centre for Plant Molecular Biology, Tamil Nadu Agricultural University, Coimbatore-641 003, Tamil Nadu, India 5ICAR Research Complex for North Eastern Hill Region, Manipur Centre, Lamphelpat-795 004, Manipur, India *Corresponding Author: M. Muthuswami, Department of Agricultural Entomology, Tamil Nadu Agricultural University, Coimbatore-641 003, Tamil Nadu, India, Email: mmsagricbe@gmail.com
Online Published on 5 January, 2024. Abstract Background Biological plant protection with entomopathogenic fungi is a vital component of sustainable pest management. The most widely used entomopathogenic fungi (EPF) are Beauveria bassiana, Metarhizium anisopliae, Verticillium sp. And Isaria sp., though there are several other genera of EPF whose potential correlates to that of commonly used fungi for reducing insect pests. The primary goal of this study was to assess the efficiency of a few novel fungal isolates against insect pests. Methods Two concentrations of four different entomopathogenic fungi were evaluated for their potency against wax moth larvae, Galleria mellonella at Insectary, Tamil Nadu Agricultural University, Coimbatore. Result Mortality was observed in both the concentrations of four fungi, among which Penicillium simplicissimum performed well on par with Clonostachys rosea and Purpureocillium lilacinum. Hence, these fungi could be formulated and utilized in biological pest control. Top Keywords Entomopathogenic fungi, Novel, Penicillium simplicissimum, Pest management, Talaromyces. Top |