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Review of the Efficacy of Metarhizium Anisopliae Var. Acridum Against the Desert Locust

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PLANT PRODUCTION AND PROTECTION DIVISION LOCUSTS AND OTHER MIGRATORY PESTS GROUP No. AGP/DL/TS/34 DESERT LOCUST TECHNICAL SERIES Review of the efficacy of Metarhizium anisopliae var. acridum against the Desert Locust The designations employed and the presentation of material in this information product do not imply the expression of any opinion whatsoever on the part of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations concerning the legal or development status of any country, territory, city or area or of its authorities, or concerning the delimitation of its frontiers or boundaries. The views expressed in this publication are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the views of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations. The mention or omission of specific companies, their products or brand names does not imply any endorsement or judgement by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations. The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations encourages the dissemination of material contained in this publication, provided that reference is made to the source. All rights reserved. Reproduction and dissemination of material in this information product for educational or other non-commercial purposes are authorized without any prior written permission from the copyright holders provided the source is fully acknowledged. Reproduction of material in this information product for resale or other commercial purposes is prohibited without written permission of the copyright holders. Applications for such permission should be addressed to the Chief, Electronic Publishing Policy and Support Branch, Information Division, FAO, Viale delle Terme di Caracalla, 00100 Rome, Italy or by e-mail to [email protected] © FAO 2007 TECHNICAL SERIES Review of the efficacy of Metarhizium anisopliae var. acridum against the Desert Locust by Harold van der Valk FOOD AND AGRICULTURE ORGANIZATION OF THE UNITED NATIONS Rome, 2007 Table of contents Table of contents ............................................................................................................................... 1 1 Introduction............................................................................................................................. 3 2 Data collection and analysis ................................................................................................... 4 2.1 Data collection ............................................................................................................... 4 2.2 Evaluation of the quality of the studies and reports....................................................... 6 2.3 Data analysis .................................................................................................................. 9 3. Desert Locust trials............................................................................................................... 10 3.1 Study quality ................................................................................................................ 10 3.2 Summary of the studies................................................................................................ 11 3.2.1 Trial no. 1 – Mauritania, 1995 (Oued-El Kharob) .......................................... 11 3.2.2 Trial no. 2 – Mauritania (Boumdeid) .............................................................. 12 3.2.3 Trial no. 3 – Mauritania, 1995 (Tin-Ouich) .................................................... 12 3.2.4 Trial no. 4 – Niger, 2003 (Agagala)................................................................ 12 3.2.5 Trial no. 5 – Sudan (Aeit 1) ............................................................................ 13 3.2.6 Trial no. 6 – Sudan (Aeit 2) ............................................................................ 13 3.2.7 Trial no. 7 – Algeria, 2005 (Oum et Thiour)................................................... 13 3.2.8 Trial no. 8 – Niger, 2005 (Aghéliough) .......................................................... 13 3.2.9 Trial no. 65 – Mauritania, 2003 (Tijirit) ......................................................... 14 3.3 Assessment of field efficacy ........................................................................................ 14 3.4 Variables influencing field efficacy............................................................................. 17 3.4.1 Product composition and quality..................................................................... 17 3.4.2 Application parameters ................................................................................... 17 3.4.3 Vegetation....................................................................................................... 18 3.4.4 Environmental conditions ............................................................................... 18 4 Other species of locusts and grasshoppers............................................................................ 23 4.1 Introduction.................................................................................................................. 23 4.2 Comparison of intrinsic susceptibility among species ................................................. 23 4.3 Comparison of field efficacy........................................................................................ 25 4.4 Environmental factors influencing field efficacy......................................................... 28 4.4.1 Temperature and thermoregulation................................................................. 28 4.4.2 Other environmental factors............................................................................ 29 4.5 Modes of exposure....................................................................................................... 30 4.5.1 Introduction..................................................................................................... 30 4.5.2 Persistence of biological activity .................................................................... 31 4.5.3 Importance of secondary pick-up.................................................................... 32 4.5.4 Residence time of locusts in treated areas....................................................... 33 5. Discussion............................................................................................................................. 36 5.1 Study quality ................................................................................................................ 36 5.2 Efficacy of Metarhizium against the Desert Locust..................................................... 36 5.3 Effects of environmental factors on efficacy ............................................................... 37 5.4 Effects of predation...................................................................................................... 37 5.5 Future field trials.......................................................................................................... 38 5.6 Operational use and monitoring of Metarhizium against the Desert Locust................ 38 6. Recommendations................................................................................................................. 40 Metarhizium efficacy review 1 Acknowledgements ......................................................................................................................... 41 Bibliography .................................................................................................................................... 42 Annex 1 – Data collection .................................................................................................... 49 Annex 2 – Field efficacy trials included in the review ......................................................... 50 Annex 3 – Assessment of the quality of the trial setup and its reporting ............................. 52 Annex 4 – Field efficacy trials of Metarhizium anisopliae var. acridum (isolate IMI 330189) against populations of the Desert Locust (Schistocerca gregaria) .............................. 56 Annex 5 – Laboratory susceptibility of locusts and grasshoppers to Metarhizium.............. 62 Annex 6 – Field trials on other species of locusts and grasshoppers which were retained for the review..................................................................................................................... 65 Annex 7 – comparison of speed of mortality in sunny or shady conditions......................... 73 Annex 8 – Biological assessments of the persistence of Metarhizium anisopliae var. acridum in the field...................................................................................................... 74 Annex 9 – Comparison between secondary pick-up of and direct exposure to Metarhizium spores ........................................................................................................................... 76 Annex 10 – Residence time for secondary pick-up of Metarhzium spores .......................... 77 Metarhizium efficacy review 2 1 Introduction The management of the Desert Locust is still mainly based on control of gregarious adults and hoppers with chemical synthetic insecticides. Concern about the environmental and human health effects of the large quantities of these insecticides used in the late 1980s sparked renewed interest in the development of biological control options. One of the approaches that were researched was the use of entomopathogenic fungi, the most promising of which
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