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Adulticidal and larvicidal activity of Beauveria bassiana and Metarhizium anisopliae against housefly, Musca domestica (Diptera: Muscidae), in laboratory and simulated field bioassays

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Abstract

The susceptibility of the adult and larval stage of housefly, Musca domestica L. (Diptera: Muscidae), to two entomopathogenic fungi, Metarhizium anisopliae (Metsch.) Sor. and Beauveria bassiana (Bals.) Vuill., was evaluated under laboratory and simulated field bioassays. Bioassays on adult houseflies were carried out at different conidial concentrations ranging from 103 to 109 conidia/ml in petri plate and minichamber assays. Absolute mortality was observed within 4–5 days at all the concentrations tested. M. anisopliae was found to be more effective with LC50 of 6.75 × 107 conidia/ml compared with 1.21 × 108 conidia/ml of B. bassiana in petri plate bioassay. Similar trend was observed in minichamber bioassay. Larvicidal activity evaluated through petri plate bioassay also indicated that M. anisopliae was more effective larvicide with LC50 of 4.1 × 108 conidia/ml as against 3.31 × 109 conidia/ml of B. bassiana. Larvicidal activity was further evaluated in simulated field condition of decaying waste matrix using dry conidial formulations (108 conidia/g) of both the fungi. Larval mortality obtained in this assay was 43% (B. bassiana) and 63% (M. anisopliae). Remarkably better performance of M. anisopliae as an adulticidal and larvicidal agent over B. bassiana in laboratory bioassays as well as simulated field conditions suggests that it may have good potential to become part of an integrated housefly control program.

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Acknowledgment

The authors gratefully acknowledge the instrumental facilities made available through TARI (IIT Delhi) project. CSIR fellowship to one of the authors (SM) is gratefully acknowledged.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Applied Microbiology Lab, Centre for Rural Development and Technology, Indian Institute of Technology Delhi, New Delhi, 110 016, India

    Sapna Mishra, Peeyush Kumar, Anushree Malik & Santosh Satya

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  1. Sapna Mishra
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  2. Peeyush Kumar
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  3. Anushree Malik
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  4. Santosh Satya
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Correspondence to Anushree Malik.

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Mishra, S., Kumar, P., Malik, A. et al. Adulticidal and larvicidal activity of Beauveria bassiana and Metarhizium anisopliae against housefly, Musca domestica (Diptera: Muscidae), in laboratory and simulated field bioassays. Parasitol Res 108, 1483–1492 (2011). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00436-010-2203-5

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