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Potential of Metarhizium anisopliae and Beauveria bassiana in the control of tea termite Microtermes obesi Holmgren in vitro and under field conditions

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Abstract

Two strains of Metarhizium anisopliae (Metschnikoff) Sorokin and two strains of Beauveria bassiana (Ballsamo) Vuillemin were evaluated for their potential use as biological control agents against the tea termite Microtermes obesi Holmgren. The strains were screened for relative pathogenicity, and the median lethal time eliciting 50% mortality (LT50) was calculated. In general, the M. anisopliae strains were more virulent with lower LT50 values than B. bassiana strains. The LT50 values ranged from 1.6 to 3.7 days. The median lethal concentrations (LC50) of all the isolates were also determined. The M. anisopliae strains had low LC50 values compared to B. bassiana strains. The LC50 values ranged from 35 to 140 conidia per termite. The strains were also tested for survival under laboratory nest conditions. All the isolates exhibited the ability to grow, sporulate and produce an epizootic in treated nest material. Field applications of the isolates also produced promising results.

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Acknowledgements

We are grateful to the University Grants Commission, Govt. of India, for funding the research. We are also grateful to the Zoological survey of India, Kolkata for identifying the termites and the Indian Agricultural Research Institute, New Delhi and the Project Directorate of Biological Control, Bangalore for providing the fungal strains. We are also grateful to the reviewers for their valuable suggestions in improving the manuscript.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Ecology and Environmental Science, Assam University, Silchar, 788011, Assam, India

    Dipendra Singha & Biman K. Dutta

  2. Department of Zoology, G.C. College, Silchar, 788004, Assam, India

    Baby Singha

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  1. Dipendra Singha
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  3. Biman K. Dutta
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Correspondence to Dipendra Singha.

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Communicated by M. Traugott.

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Singha, D., Singha, B. & Dutta, B.K. Potential of Metarhizium anisopliae and Beauveria bassiana in the control of tea termite Microtermes obesi Holmgren in vitro and under field conditions. J Pest Sci 84, 69–75 (2011). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10340-010-0328-z

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