Vuill. and Steinernema Feltiae (Filipjev) on the Pronymphs and Eonymphs of Cephalcia Tannourinensis (Chevin) Under Laboratory Conditions
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Academia Journal of Agricultural Research 7(3): 054-060, March 2019 DOI: 10.15413/ajar.2019.0103 ISSN: 2315-7739 ©2019 Academia Publishing Research Paper Efficacy of local strains of entomopathogenic Beauveria bassiana (Bals.) Vuill. and Steinernema feltiae (Filipjev) on the pronymphs and eonymphs of Cephalcia tannourinensis (Chevin) under laboratory conditions Accepted 15th January, 2019 ABSTRACT The Lebanese web spinning cedar sawfly, Cephalcia tannourinensis (Chevin), is the main cedars defoliator in Lebanon. The study is to determine the effectiveness, competition and the host finding ability of two indigenous entomopathogens; a fungi Beauveria bassiana (Balsamo) and a nematode Steinernema feltiae (Filipjev) under laboratory conditions. The study included also the use of a commercial entomopathogenic nematode Heterorhabditis bacteriophora (Poinar). The study targeted the two diapauses stages of the cedar sawfly, the pronymphs, and the eonymphs. One dose of the entomopathogenic nematodes and two doses of the entomopathogenic fungi were applied as well as, mixtures of the two. Local strain of B. bassiana caused mortalities of 60 and 53% on the pronymphes when applied at 50 and 500 spores/larvae, respectively. A synergistic effect was proven when the treatment consisted of two mixtures of the entomopathogens, B. bassina and S. feltiae / H. bacteriophora, and caused mortalities of 100% on the pronymphs and 86.6 to 100% on the eonymphs. The host finding ability was higher for the C. Al Khoury1, M. Rehayem2, C. Abou Jaoudé1, entomopathogenic nematode than for the entomopathogenic fungus. The use of a E. Noujeim2 and N. Nemer1* combination of entomopathogens proved to be more effective when only one is 1Department of Agricultural Sciences, Faculty used. The local strain of B. bassiana when used at the dose of 500 spores/larvae of Agricultural and Food Sciences, Holy Spirit was effective. University of Kaslik, P.O.Box 446, Jounieh, Lebanon. Key words: Cephalcia tannourinensis, biological control, Beauveria bassiana, 2National Council for Scientific Research - CNRS, P.O.Box 11-8281, Ryad El Solh 1107 Steinernema feltiae. 2260, 59, Zahia Selman street, Beirut, Lebanon. Abbreviations: LIB132: Steinernema feltiae; Hb.Com: Heterorhabditis bacteriophora; USEK: Holy Spirit University of Kaslik; CNRS: National Council for *Corresponding author. E-mail: [email protected]. Tel: 961 9 600893; Scientific Research; PDA: Potato Dextrose Agar; SPSS: Statistical Package for the Fax: 961 9 600871. Social Sciences; ANOVA: Analysis of variance. INTRODUCTION The cedar sawfly, Cephalcia tannourinensis has been pronymphs are the larvae that are ready to become nymph causing severe damages to the cedars of Lebanon since and emerge as adults the following year. The eonymphs are 1992 (Nemer et al., 2005). One of the particularities of this the larvae that are still in diapause and may emerge in the insect species is that it evolved physiologically and timing coming two to seven years; this feature is present in several mechanisms such as diapauses in order to emerge at an Cephalcia species whereby eonymphs can persist in the soil appropriate time to utilize resources even if they have to up to 5 years (Nemer et al., 2014; Gruppe, 1996). face adverse environmental conditions (Danks, 1987). C. Following its outbreak in 1998, this pest was treated with tannourinensis has two diapausing larval stages, the an insect growth regulator, diflubenzuron, which is no Academia Journal of Agricultural Research; Khoury et al. 055 longer homologated in forest management (Nemer et al., hemocytometer method. Spores were harvested from Petri 2005). The search for alternatives to chemical pesticides dishes cultures of the fungus grown on potato dextrose agar has been under investigation since 2007 (Nemer et al., by flooding the culture with sterile water and dislodging 2007; Abdo et al., 2008; Noujeim et al., 2010). spores from the hyphen with the aid of a sterile loop. The In Lebanon, the entomopathogenic fungus, Beauveria spore solution was then filtered through four consecutive bassiana, was found in the forest Tannourine Hadath El sterile layers of cheesecloth to remove any hyphen Jebbeh (North Lebanon) growing on C. tannourinensis fragments present. The number of spores can be counted diapausing larvae in the soil. The results of a study using a hemocytometer. conducted by Abdo et al. (2008) showed that B. bassiana is Two nematode strains were tested, the indigenous strain a natural entomopathogenic fungus parasitizing the larvae Steinernema feltiae (LIB132) and a commercial strain of C. tannourinensis and has been demonstrated to cause Heterorhabditis bacteriophora (Hb.Com). high mortalities of eggs and larvae of the sawfly under laboratory conditions. However, this fungus has not been applied to the soil diapausing stages of the cedar sawfly. Experimental method The entomopathogenic nematode, Heterorhabditis was also found in Tannourine Hadath El Jebbeh cedar forest Experimental tests were carried out in November, 2017 in (Noujeim et al., 2010) and was used against the diapausing the Laboratory of Entomology at the Faculty of Agricultural stages of C. tannourinensis in vitro (Noujeim, 2010; and Food Sciences – USEK. The soil was sampled from the Rehayem et al., 2018). Species of entomopathogenic Tannourine Cedar Nature Reserve and then transferred nematodes Steinernema feltiae, Steinernema kraussei into jars and sterilized in an autoclave at 120°C for 20 min (Steiner) were also proposed as biological agents to fight to kill all possible micro-organisms that may interfere with against Cephalcia arvensis (Panzer) (Battisti and Masutti, the effect of the tested entomopathogens. The soil was 1994; Führer and Fischer, 1991). poured in sterilized 100 ml plastic contained and closed Two hypotheses were made: the first was to check with a lid. The eonymphs and pronymphs were then whether the annual diapauses stage (pronymphs) of C. transferred to the sterilized soil. tannourinensis behaves differently from the multi-year The treatments consisted of two concentrations of the diapausing stages (eonymphs). The second assumption is local strain of the entomopathogen B. bassiana (50 that entomopathogenic fungus and nematodes have spores/larvae and 500 spores/larvae); one concentration different search behavior from each other implying a of the commercial entomopathogenic nematode H. synergy between the two agents that will increase their bacteriophora (HB.com) supplied by Koppert; one efficiency. concentration of the local strain of the entomopathogenic Therefore, the first objective of this study was to nematode S. feltiae (LIB132) and three mixtures of both determine the effectiveness of these two entomopathogenic entomopathogens; in addition to a positive control fungi and nematode on the two stages of diapauses of the consisting of Tween 80 and one control without any cedar sawfly under laboratory conditions. The second addition. Table 1 represents all the dosages and treatments objective was to determine the search behavior for both administered to the two diapausing stages of the C. entomopathogenic fungus and nematode. tannourinensis. The larvae were separated into pronymphs and eonymphs put separately in a sterile beaker prior to the MATERIALS AND METHODS application of different treatments (Table 1). Five larvae of each stage (pronymphs and eonymphs) were placed Animal material separately within one container and each treatment replicated thrice. The eonymphs and pronymphs of the cedar sawfly C. A surfactant Tween 80 was added to the spores’ solution tannourinensis were sampled from the cedar forest of of B. bassiana to increase its adhesion effect. Using an Tannourine in October, 2017. The sampled larvae were Eppendorf micropipette, the different treatments at the transferred to the laboratory of Entomology at the Holy indicated doses were applied topically on the pronymphs Spirit University of Kaslik (USEK). Thereafter, they were and eonymphs larvae of C. tannourinensis. The total number separated into eonymphs and pronymphs based on the of pronymphs and eonymphs larvae for each treatment was compound eyes feature (Nemer et al., 2014). 15, while the total number of pronymphs and eonymphs The entomophagous fungus, B. bassiana was isolated larvae used in this study was 300. from dead larvae of C. tannourinensis which was cultured Three days after the application of the different on potato dextrose agar (PDA) medium. Conidia suspension treatments, the larvae of the following treatments (B. of B. bassiana was prepared in sterile water and filtered to bassiana 50 and 500 spores/larvae, Tween, and control) remove any mycelia fragments. The concentration of spores were removed from containers and transferred to PDA in the suspension was determined by Neubauer culture media on petri dishes. Larvae that are already dead Academia Journal of Agricultural Research; Khoury et al. 056 Table 1: Treatments and doses of entomopathogens. Treatments Doses Beauveria bassiana (local strain) 50 spores/larvae + 1% Tween Beauveria bassiana (local strain) 500 spores/larvae + 1% Tween Heterorhabditis bacteriophora (HB.Com) 250 juvenile nematodes/larvae Steinernema feltiae (LIB132) 250 juvenile nematodes/larvae HB.Com + Beauveria bassiana 50 spores/larvae + 1% Tween + 250 juvenile nematodes/larvae HB.Com + Beauveria bassiana 500 spores/larvae + 1% Tween + 250 juvenile nematodes/larvae LIB132 + Beauveria bassiana 50 spores/larvae + 1% Tween + 250 juvenile nematodes/larvae LIB132 + Beauveria