Entomopathogenic fungi have been investigated as an alternative tool for controlling various insects, including triatomine vectors of the protozoan Trypanosoma cruzi, the etiological agent of Chagas disease. Here we tested the pathogenicity and virulence of ten isolates of the fungi Metarhizium spp. and Beauveria bassiana against Rhodnius prolixus and found all of the isolates to be virulent. W...

The glassy-winged sharpshooter (Homalodisca vitripennis) is a highly vagile and polyphagous insect found throughout the southwestern United States. These insects are the predominant vectors of Xylella fastidiosa (X. fastidiosa), a xylem-limited bacterium that is the causal agent of Pierce's disease (PD) of grapevine. Pierce's disease is economically damaging; thus, H. vitripennis have become a ...

We have reviewed published anthraquinone applications for international pest management and agricultural crop protection from 1943 to 2016. Anthraquinone (AQ) is commonly found in dyes, pigments and many plants and organisms. Avian repellent research with AQ began in the 1940s. In the context of pest management, AQ is currently used as a chemical repellent, perch deterrent, insecticide and feed...

BACKGROUND & OBJECTIVE Potato tuber moth (PTM), Phthorimaea operculella Zeller is a widely distributed, devastating pest of potatoes attacking the foliage and infest the tubers in both field and store causing serious economic damage. As application of PTM granulovirus (PTM-GV) has shown significant reduction in damage, attempts were made to develop a new cell line from this insect to grow PTM-G...

Insecticidal crystal toxins derived from the soil bacterium Bacillus thuringiensis (Bt) are widely used as biopesticide sprays or expressed in transgenic crops to control insect pests. However, large-scale use of Bt has led to field-evolved resistance in several lepidopteran pests. Resistance to Bt Cry1Ac toxin in the diamondback moth, Plutella xylostella (L.), was previously mapped to a multig...

bacillus thuringiensis (bt) has been extensively used in biopesticidal formulations due to its safe environmental and human health records. the widespread use of bt is often challenged by production as well as formulation costs which are in direct contact with downstream processing, i.e. the separation/purification step. downstream separation/purification efficacy governs the marketability of a...