Efficacy of entomopathogenic fungus Beauveria bassiana against adults of Shiitake-pest mushroom fly, Neoempheria carinata

Abstract

We investigated the efficacy of Beauberia bassiana against a Shiitake-pest mushroom fly, Neoempheria carinata, under laboratory conditions. First, we determined the survival rate of N. carinata adults exposed to two isolates of B. bassiana: F3231 from an adult cadaver of a N. carinata reared successively under laboratory conditions, and F263 from a larval cadaver of a longicorn beetle, Monochamus alternatus. Both B. bassiana isolates significantly decreased the survival rate of N. carinata adults at 4 and 5 days after treatment. Next, we investigated the efficacy of BIOLISA®-MADARA, a commercial biological control product containing B. bassiana F263 isolate, against N. carinata adults. We found that BIOLISA®-MADARA significantly shortened adult longevity, and decreased the number of eggs oviposited, but did not affect egg hatchability. These results indicate that BIOLISA®-MADARA and the isolates of B. bassiana F3231 and F263 were able to decrease numbers of subsequent generations of N. carinata by reducing total egg biomass.