Transmission possibility of the fungus Beauveria bassiana KCF102 by mating behavior between Sunn pest, Eurygaster integriceps (Hem.: Scutelleridae) adults

Abstract

Horizontal transmission of an isolate of the etomopathogenic fungus, Beauveria bassiana KCF102, was examined by allowing inoculated Eurygaster integriceps Put. adults to mate with non-inoculated ones. In case of susceptibility to B. bassiana, there was no significant difference between the males and females. However, there was significant difference among treatments for mortality of non-inoculated adults. It meant horizontal transmission could be happened between the inoculated and non-inoculated adults. Recording no significant difference among the treatments of the inoculated males + non-inoculated males and treatment with inoculated females + non-inoculated males revealed that this kind of horizontal transmission was not merely due to the mating behavior, given that the same transmission could be existed between inoculated and non-inoculated males or between those of female adults. There was significant difference for mortality percentage of adults among the five body-part treatments, ranging from 16.6 to 48.9, with the highest mortality for total body treatment and the lowest one for the pronotum.

Keywords

• entomopathogenic fungus
• beauveria bassiana
• horizontal transmission
• mating behavior
• eurygaster integriceps