Potential assessment of Metarhizium anisopliae and Bacillus thuringiensis against Brinjal insect pests Amrasca bigutulla (Jassid) and Aphis gossypii (Aphid)

Abstract

The present study was conducted to investigate the pathogenicity of entomophathogenic fungi and bacteria against aphid and jassid at Youngwala, Entomological Research Area, University of Agriculture Faisalabad, Pakistan. Experiment performed on brinjal plants with field recommended doses of PACER® (Metarhizium anisopliae) at 1×107 conidia and LIPELTM (Bacillus thuringiensis) at 1×108 spores to asses percent mortality under randomized complete block design (RCBD). The data regarding mortality were recorded after 12 hours, 24 hours, 48 hours, 72 hours, 7 days and then on weekly basis of exposure period of application treatment. Alone treatments of Bacillus thuringiensis (LIPELTM) showed maximum mortality 52.92% of jassid (Amrasca bigutulla), 52.46% of aphid (Aphis gossypii) and Metarhizium anisopliae (PACER®) gave 66.75% of jassid (Amrasca bigutulla), 58.66% of aphid (Aphis gossypii) after maximum days. Mortality in combined used of these treatments showed 83.33% of jassid and 72.45% of aphid. It is concluded that these bio-insecticides can efficiently be used against insect pests of brinjal and can also be integrated along with each other.