Pathogenicity of isolates of Metarhizium anisopliae to Diaphania indica saunders Praveena A.*, Sudharma K. Department of Agricultural Entomology, College of Agriculture, Vellayani, 695522.Thiruvananthapuram *Corresponding author Email: pravi157@gmail.com
Online published on 23 October, 2018. Abstract Two indigenous isolates of Metarhizium anisopliae (Metschnikoff) Sorokin were isolated from laterite soil in Vellanadu (Southern and Central foot hills), Kerala using Galleria melonella L. as bait. The GenBank accession number assigned for the two isolates SP8 and SP11 were KX171217 and KX171220, respectively. Laboratory studies carried out to assess the pathogenicity of these isolates showed that these were pathogenic to larvae of Diaphania indica Saunders and caused 100 and 78.33% mortality, respectively at seven days after treatment. The isolate SP8 was significantly superior, and these isolates could be used as biocontrol agents of D. indica. Top Keywords Metarhizium anisopliae, Kerala, indigenous isolates, isolation, pathogenicity, Diaphania indica, mortality of larvae. Top |