Ecology, Environment and Conservation Paper

FIRST RECORD OF USE FUSARIUM PROLIFERATUM FUNGI IN DIRECT TREATMENT TO CONTROL THE ADULT OF WHEAT FLOUR TRIBOLIUM CONFUSUM, AS WELL AS, USE THE ENTOMOPATHOGENIC FUNGI BEAUVERIA BASSIANA

Laith K. Tawfeeq Al-Ani1,, May I. Yonus, Beadaa Abdalqader Mahdii, Marwa A. Omer, Jameelah Kadham Taher, Shaymaa Fadhel Abbas Albaayit and Saif Basheer Al-Khoja

Abstract

Fusarium proliferatum is a common pathogen for several crop plants and appearing in different climatic zones, and the entomopathogenic fungi Beauveria bassiana has been using as biological control agents widely. Wheat flour insect Tribolium confusum is causing economic damage to wheat flour in the stores. In this study, the pathogenicity test of F. proliferatum M2 and B. bassiana B1 was evaluated against adults of T. confusum by treatment the body and food of the adult insect directly with three suspensions (l×104, 105, 106 conidia/mL) and the mortality of adult was recorded daily at intervals for 20 day. The highest mortality of adults after treatment with B1 and M2 were 78.37 and 72.97% in concentration 1×106 conidia/mL after 20 days, respectively, compared with control 7.5%. The result indicates for F. proliferatum to be entomopathogenic fungi and possibly in the future can consider as a new biological agent to control the pests in the stores and crops.