Test of the pathogenicity of two commercial Beauveria strains on third-instar larvae of the mango blossom gall midge, Procontarinia mangiferae (Felt) (Diptera: Cecidomyiidae)

Introduction . The invasive gall midge, Procontarinia mangiferae (= Erosomyia mangiferae Felt), is one of the most important flowering pests of mango orchards worldwide. To achieve chemical input reduction, developing integrated pest management (IPM) strategies using bio-control agents is pertinent. Materials and methods . We tested the pathogenicity of two commercial strains of the entomopathogenic fungi Beauveria on non-diapausing 3rd-instar larvae of P. mangiferae . Results and discussion . Neither the Beauveria sp. commercial strain Betel nor the B. bassiana strain Bb 147 were effective, even though they proved their pathogenicity on the control, Galleria mellonella . Hypotheses to explain the inefficiency of the two strains on P. mangiferae are discussed. Conclusion . Other strains of Beauveria or other entomopathogenic fungi or nematodes should be tested on diapausing and non-diapausing larvae of P. mangiferae .

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