Abstract:
In agriculture, insect pests are one of the most constrictive aspects resulting in
greater losses in crop quality and quantity if not treated promptly. So, focusing
on numerous novel solutions for the management of insect pests that must be
environmentally benign is of critical importance. As a result, the primary goal
of the study was to characterize Metarhizium anisopliae and to investigate its
insecticidal activity against insect pests in laboratory controlled conditions.
Altogether, 60 soil samples were collected from randomly selected four
organic farms of Basantatar, Khanar, Tarhara, and Buddhachowk, Nepal, and
the isolates were isolated and conventionally identified to confirm that they
were Metarhizium anisopliae. After then, the isolates SK13 & SC1 were
confirmed as strains of Metarhizium anisopliae by molecular method 18S
rRNA gene sequencing. The isolates were then bioassayed against S.
frugiperda and Myzus persicae. For this objective, a conidial suspension of the
isolates (1.76×10⁷spores/ml) was prepared and fed to the insects housed in
disposable plastic glass by direct dipping the leaves of maize and beans before
providing them to the relevant insect. Following the bioassay, In the case of S.
frugiperda, isolates SK13 and SC1 had the same efficacy, however in the case
of Myzus persicae; SK13 had a higher efficacy (91.79%) than isolate SC1
(86.66%). The results show that using this isolated fungus against insect pests
will become an appealing alternative and a long-term solution for plant
protection, resulting in decreased chemical pesticide exposures and
automatically relieving our agricultural system of its detrimental
consequences.
Description:
A
Dissertation
Submitted to the Department of Microbiology,
Central Campus of Technology
Tribhuvan University, Dharan, Nepal
In partial fulfillment of the requirements for the Award of
Degree of Master of Science in Microbiology
(Agriculture
