| ABSTRACT | Volme  1, N° 6, Page 197-202 (August 2015)

Research Article   EFFICACY OF BEAUVERIA BRONGNIARTII AND NOMURAEA RILEYI AGAINST THE POTATO TUBER MOTH, PHTHORIMAEA     OPERCULELLA (ZELLER)     | Magda Sabbour | and | Mohamed Abdel-Raheem |. American Journal of Innovative Research and Applied Sciences. 2015; 1(6):197-202.    | PDF FULL TEXT |

ABSTRACT   Background: Potato tuber moth, Phthorimaea operculella (PTM) attacks solanaceous crops with potato being favoured. Objective: The present studies aims to evaluate the efficacy and entomopathogenicity of the two fascinating entomopathogenic fungi B. brongniartii  and N. rileyi against one serious pest of potato plants. Methods: The effect of the two entomopathogenic fungi Beauveria brongniartii and Nomuraea rileyi were tested under laboratory at concentrations ranged from 1X 102   to 1X108 spores /ml and experiments were conducted under laboratory conditions (26 ± 2o C and 65± 5 %RH.), green house (in 40 plots in each artificial infestation was made by spraying the plant with the bio insecticides (B. brongniartii and N. rileyi Fungi) at concentration 8.25 x 108 conidia /ml for each fungus) and field conditions (the growing Potatoes during the two successive growing seasons 2013 and 2014. Potatoes were cultivated at Eben-Malek farm at El–Nobaryia farm, N.R.C. The Potatoes variety Giza 2) was cultivated by the end of May during the two seasons in an area of about half feddan.) Results: The LC50s for the target pest P. operculella were 100X104 and 87 X104 spores/ml after treated with B. brongniartii and N. rileyi, respectively. Under semi-field conditions, the corresponding LC50s recorded 120X104 and 97 X104 spores/ml respectively.  Under laboratory conditions the number of eggs laid/ female P. operculella significantly decreased to 42±1.7 and 33±8.9, eggs/female after treatment with B. brongniartii N. rileyi as compared to 366±8.7 in the control, respectively. The percentage of emerged adults significantly decreased to 3% as compared to 100% in the control.  Under field conditions the yields weight of potatoes were significantly increased to 25.45± 55.66 and 29.67±61.11 ton/ feddan in plots treated with B. brongniartii and N. rileyi respectively as compared to17.88±55.43 Tons/ feddan in the control during season 2013. During season 2014 the weight of potatoes were significantly increased to 25.97±67.91 and 29.94±54.98 Ton/feddan as compared to 12.27±45.09 in the control. Conclusion: Using of entomopathogenic fungi due to reduction the number of eggs laid/female after being treated with B. brongniartii and N. rileyi as compared the control. The emerged adults were decreased and the yield weight of potatoes increased in plots treated with B. brongniartii and N. rileyi. The yields weight of potatoes were significantly in plots treated with B. brongniartii and N. rileyi as compared in the control during seasons 2013 & 2014. Keywords: Keywords: Beauveria brongniartii, Nomuraea rileyi, Phthorimaea operculella.