Mycoinsecticides against an insect of the grasshopper family

Details Mycoinsecticides against an insect of the grasshopper family Mycoinsecticides against an insect of the grasshopper family

1999-04-15

2001-07-17

Marx, Irene (Department: 1651)

Drug, bio-affecting and body treating compositions

Whole live micro-organism, cell, or virus containing

Fungus

C435S254100

Reexamination Certificate

active

06261553

ABSTRACT:

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
Currently, there are several methods of controlling economically important pests such as grasshopper s and locusts. These methods fall into two broad categories—chemical and biological. Chemical methods are the most commonly used and entail the use of chemical pesticides. However, chemical pesticides can pose risks to human health and cause environmental damage due to adverse effects on non-target insects and other animals. Also, chemical pesticides used for grasshopper control are non-selective and kill other, beneficial insects in sprayed areas. In short, chemical pesticides can kill pollinating insects, adversely affecting plant life or can upset insect population balances by killing predators or parasitic insects that naturally control the insects population.
Biological methods of controlling economically-important pests have become increasingly attractive as a less ecologically-destructive way of dealing with these insects. Biological methods exploit an insect's natural enemies and include using insect parasitoids, predators, and pathogens. Of the various ways to use an insect's natural enemies as biological control agents for that insect, one of the most common is mass multiplying pathogens such as bacteria or fungi and applying them to an affected area as a biopesticide. Organisms which have been under investigation as potential biopesticides include viruses, nematodes, protozoa, bacteria and fungi.
Biopesticides can be very expensive to raise and can be difficult to deliver effectively to the target insect. To date, bacteria is a commonly used form of biopesticide. For example, strains of the bacteria
Bacillus thuringiensis
have been used against susceptible Lepidoptera, Diptera, and Coleoptera. Fungi such as Metarhizium and Beauveria are virulent against a wide range of insects and can be economically mass produced according to methods described in the patent application entitled “A Solid Culture Substrate Including Barley” filed even date herewith, the contents of which are expressly incorporated herein. However, Prior and Greathead (
FAO Plant Prot, Bull
, 37:37-48 (1989)) state that “[a] pathogen such as Beauveria will kill a target insect only in an unfavourable climate, such as the majority of locust outbreak areas, if it either hits the insect directly or contacts it rapidly after application and before it is inactivated by V, high temperature, or low [relative humidity].”
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
This invention provides an entomopathogenic fungus which is virulent against insects of the grasshopper family without significantly harming non-target insects. The entomopathogenic fungus further is non-toxic to consumers and/or users and also does not detrimentally affect vegetation. One embodiment of the claimed entomopathogenic fungus is a specific isolate of
Beauveria bassiana.
Certain species of fungi are well known pathogens of insects. One embodiment of this invention is a specific isolate of the entomopathogenic fungus,
Beauveria bassiana
. This isolate combines characteristics which make it particularly well suited to the control of grasshopper including locust. These characteristics include:
a high degree of virulence toward grasshoppers
efficient production of stable, infective conidia which comprise the active ingredient of mycoinsecticide
conidia which are comparatively resistant to damage from elevated temperatures and which are stable in storage
limited infectivity or pathogenicity to insects other than grasshopper and locust
no adverse affects on vertebrates.
Therefore, the entomopathogenic fungus of the present invention is effective against grasshoppers, can be stored and transported in commercial distribution channels without special handling and has fewer adverse effects on non-target species, including humans, and the environment than chemical pesticides.
The present invention also provides formulations including the entomopathogenic fungus which are easy to deliver to grasshopper-infested target areas in that the formulations can be delivered by land or by air, for example, using a spraying device from an airplane. In addition, a small volume of the formulation is capable of covering a large area of land. This invention also provides entomopathogenic formulations for incorporation into a trap. The formulations comprise the entomopathogenic strain of
Beauveria bassiana
in combination with a solid substrate, an oil, an emulsion, or a suspension. Formulations of the present invention that incorporate conidia of the claimed entomopathogenic fungus remain virulent in the presence of ultraviolet radiation and low relative humidity.
Other aspects of this invention include methods of killing an insect of the grasshopper family using the forementioned suspensions and/or formulations and baits and traps for killing an insect of the grasshopper family containing the formulation. The traps also can contain lures for attracting the insects to the trap.


REFERENCES:
patent: 54766/86 (1986-09-01), None
Johnson et al., “Mortality of Grasshoppers (Orthoptera: Acrididae) Inoculated with a Canadian Isolate of the FungusVerticillium lecanii”Journal of Invertebrate Pathology, vol. 52, pp. 335-342, (1988).
Khachatourians G. G. “Virulence of Five Beauveria strains,Paecilomyces farinosus, andVerticillium lecaniiagainst the Migratory Grasshopper,Melanoplus sanguinipes”Journal of Invertebrate Pathology, vol. 59, pp. 212-214, (1992).
Marcandier et al., “Susceptibility of the Migratory Grasshopper,Melanoplus sanguinipes(Fab.) (Orthoptera: Acrididae), toBeauveria bassiana(bals.) Vuillemin (Hyphomycete): Influence of Relative Humidity”The Canadian EntomologistOct., vol. 119, pp. 901-907, (1987).
Moore et al., “Isolation ofAspergillus parasiticusspeare andBeauveria bassiana(bals.) Vuillemin from melanopline Grasshoppers (Orthoptera: Acrididae) and Demonstration of their Pathogenicity inMelanoplus sanguinipes(Fabricius)”The Canadian EntomologistNov., vol. 120, pp. 989-991, (1988).
Prior et al., “Biological control of locusts: the potential for the exploitation of pathogens”FAO Plant Prot. Bull., vol. 37, No. 1, pp. 37-48, (1989).

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