Evaluating the Efficacy of Entomopathogenic Fungi against the Bark Beetle, Ips stebbingi Strohmeyer (Coleoptera, Curculionidae: Scolytinae) in India

The bark beetle, Ips stebbingi Strohmeyer (Coleoptera: Curculionidae: Scolytinae) is one of the most serious pests of Pinus wallichiana A. B. Jacks (Pinaceae) in Kashmir Himalaya. In order to find an effective biocontrol agent against this pest, we determined the effectiveness of entomopathogenic fungi, viz. Beauveria bassiana (Balsamo) Vuillemin, Metarhizium anisopliae sensu lato (Metchnikoff) Sorokin, and Lecanicillium lecanii (Zimmerman) Zare et Gams against I. stebbingi in the laboratory conditions. Each fungal suspension contained 1.0 × 109 spores of fungi in 1 ml. The insecticide (cyclone 505 EC) was also used as positive control in the experiment. The mortality caused with these fungi was recorded in treated branches and Petri dish assay. In treated branches, B. bassiana and M. anisopliae caused higher mortality, i.e., 68% and 71.25%, respectively, 10 days after treatment, and 93.10% and 88%, respectively, 20 days after treatment. The results of Petri dish assay revealed that I. stebbingi adults were highly susceptible to both treated fungal species and insecticide. However, B. bassiana and M. anisopliae caused higher percentage mortality six days after treatment, i.e., 94.16% and 100% respectively. The percentage of mortality caused by treating with insecticide was 60%. Lecanicillium lecanii was found significantly less virulent (mortality 18.33%) in all fungal treatments. Results obtained in the present study are promising and may be used as alternative means of chemical control for management of this beetle pest; however, no recommendations concerning the potential use of these fungal pathogens for forest protection can be given, and further studies are needed in this respect, especially under field conditions.