Efficacy of Metarhizium anisopliae against the Greater Pumpkin Fly Dacus bivitattus

The greater pumpkin fly Dacus bivittatus (Bigot) is a fruit fly indigenous to Africa, which causes extensive damage to Cucurbitaceae. To control this pest, farmers rely on synthetic chemicals, often organophosphates, which have negative effects on human health and the environment. However, the sustainable management of D. bivittatus may be obtained through integrated pest management (IPM) practices, with the use of biopesticides as a key component. In this study, the effect of nine isolates of the entomopathogenic fungus Metarhizium anisopliae (Metschnikoff) Sorokin (ICIPE 18, ICIPE 20, ICIPE 30, ICIPE 48, ICIPE 62, ICIPE 69, ICIPE 84, ICIPE 91 and ICIPE 94) was directly evaluated on adult D. bivittatus mortality. Adult flies were allowed to walk for 5 min on 0.3 g of dry conidia of each isolate and monitored daily for 10 days. We also evaluated the effect of sand inoculated with M. anisopliae on larval and pupal mortality and adult eclosion and mortality in three replicated experiments. Larvae were exposed to the same isolates at a concentration of 1 x 10(7) conidia/mL in sterile sand, and adult eclosion and mortality were monitored for 15 days. The median lethal time (LT50) of adults after direct exposure was shortest for ICIPE 18, ICIPE 20, ICIPE 30 and ICIPE 69 (3.11-3.52 days). In infested sand, larval mortality was highest for ICIPE 18 and ICIPE 20 (=42.50%), while pupal mortality was highest for ICIPE 30 (=41.25%). The lowest eclosion was observed for ICIPE 18, ICIPE 20, ICIPE 30 and ICIPE 69 (=40.00%). The LT50 of adults eclosed from infested sand was shortest for ICIPE 18, ICIPE 20 and ICIPE 30 (4.48-6.95 days). ICIPE 18, ICIPE 20, ICIPE 30 and ICIPE 69 are, therefore, potential isolates for subsequent field testing on D. bivittatus populations.