Efficacy and molecular studies of a Lebanese isolate of Beauveria for control of Thaumetopoea wilkinsoni (Lepidoptera: Thaumetopoeidae) |
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| Authors: | Yusuf Abou-Jawdah Hagop Atamian Georges Nemer Linda Kfoury Nancy Choukrallah Lucia Hanna |
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| Affiliation: | 1. Department of Agricultural Sciences , American University of Beirut, Faculty of Agricultural and Food Sciences , Riad El Solh, Beirut, Lebanon;2. Department of Biochemistry , American University of Beirut , Riad El Solh, Beirut, Lebanon;3. Lebanese University, Faculty of Agriculture , Beirut, Lebanon |
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| Abstract: | A Lebanese isolate of a Beauveria species originally isolated from a hymenopterous insect pest was found to be very effective against the pine processionary moth Thaumetopoea wilkinsoni. In laboratory bioassays, high mortality rates of the five larval stages were attained with spore concentrations of about 5000–50,000 spores/larva. The efficacy of kill on the first three larval stages was similar to the growth regulator diflubenzuron, but it was significantly higher on the fourth and fifth larval stages. Sequences of the DNA lyase gene and the EF-1α gene were used for molecular characterisation of this Beauveria isolate. The DNA lyase gene showed more polymorphism than the previously reported ITS region and EF-1α gene. This constitutes the first report on the possibility of using the DNA lyase gene as a molecular tool in fungal taxonomy. |
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| Keywords: | Beauveria Thaumetopoea wilkinsoni pine processionary moth DNA lyase gene |
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