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Composition of entomopathogenic fungus and method of production and application for insect control

a technology of entomopathogenic fungus and entomopathogenic bacteria, which is applied in the direction of biocide, plant/algae/fungi/lichens ingredients, plant cultivation, etc., can solve the problems of poor application practicability, poor shelf life or lyophilization of room temperature fungus, and formulations too expensive for general use, etc., to achieve excellent shelf life, low moisture level, and comparable or even higher levels and rates of infectivity

Inactive Publication Date: 2009-03-19
US SEC AGRI
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  • Abstract
  • Description
  • Claims
  • Application Information

AI Technical Summary

Benefits of technology

[0008]We have now discovered the novel, hitherto undescribed, formation of microsclerotia by entomopathogenic fungi, which are effective for the control of insect pests, as well as techniques for the production of these microsclerotial propagules. In accordance with this discovery, microsclerotia may be produced from entomopathogenic fungi including Metarhizium species, Beauveria species, and Lecanicillium species. These microsclerotia are desiccation tolerant, survive low-cost, air-drying processes to low moisture levels, exhibit excellent shelf-life at room as well as refrigerated temperatures, and can be processed to formulation sizes which are compatible with conventional granular pesticide applicators. In use, the microsclerotia sporulate profusely (thus producing large number of insect-infectious conidia) upon rehydration such as in normal soil, and may exhibit comparable or even higher levels and rates of infectivity against insect pests in comparison to conventional conidia-based granular formulations.

Problems solved by technology

Practical application of these formulations has been limited because of product physical characteristics precluding use in conventional farm equipment, high production costs, and / or poor practical shelf life.
Mycelial pellets, such as disclosed in US Pat. No. 5,418,164, have generally poor, room-temperature shelf life or must be lyophilized, an expensive process.
Applied Nematology, 17(6):563-567) have been commercialized, but this formulation is too expensive for general use in field crops, and suffers from poor room temperature shelf-life.
Conidia (produced in solid substrate fermentation) bound to a granular carrier generally have poor shelf life.
Spent solid substrate fermentation granules (typically rice, barley, wheat grains) containing residual fungus after harvest of conidia, cannot be applied using conventional farm equipment nor can they be readily ground to the proper size without killing the fungus, even though this formulation is readily available as a by-product of conidia production.
However, to date, microsclerotia have not been reported for any fungal pathogens of insects.

Method used

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  • Composition of entomopathogenic fungus and method of production and application for insect control

Examples

Experimental program
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example 1

Production of Microsclerotia

[0022]In this example we have evaluated different liquid culture nutritional environments and measured biomass accumulation and blastospore and microsclerotia yields. The desiccation tolerance of microsclerotia was measured by evaluating their ability to germinate vegetatively and / or sporogenically upon rehydration.

[0023]Three strains of Metarhizium anisopliae var. anisopliae (Metchnikoff) Sorokin were used in this study: a commercial strain, F52 (ATCC 90448, (Earth Biosciences, now Novozyme Biologicals, Salem, Va., reisolated from Tetanops myopaeformis larvae), MA1200 (ATCC 62176, passaged through T. myopaeformis larvae), and TM109 (ARSEF5520 reisolated from T. myopaeformis larvae). All isolates were stored at −80° C. at USDA ARS NPARL and at USDA ARS NCAUR. Stock cultures of each strain of M. anisopliae were grown as single spore isolates on potato dextrose agar (PDA) for three weeks at room temperatures. The sporulated plate was cut into 1 mm2 agar plu...

example 2

Assessment of Fungal Outgrowth and Sporulation From Microsclerotia on Different Soils

[0031]The fungal outgrowth and sporulation of M. anisopliae strain MA1200 from microsclerotial granules produced from Medium 4, 5, and 6 were evaluated on moist soil plates. The granules were prepared as described earlier, sieved to a 0.6-1.7 mm particle size, and stored in sealed plastic bags at 5-7> C. for 9 months prior to use. A clay soil from a sugarbeet field in Sidney Mo., a clay loam soil collected from a sugarbeet field near St. Thomas, N.D., and a sandy-loam soil from Torrington, Wyo. were separately air dried to a moisture content less than 2%, pulverized and sieved through as 20-mesh (U.S.) sieve to a uniform particle size range. Soil texture was determined by standard methods (Sheldrick and Wang, 1993, Particle size distribution. In, Soil Sampling and Methods of Analysis, M. R. Carter, Ed. Can. Soc. Soil Science, Lewis Publishers, Boca Raton, Fla., pp. 499-512). All soils tested were no...

example 3

Relative Efficacy of Microsclerotial Granules Produced by the Six Media in Example 1

[0037]The relative biological efficacy of the microsclerotial granules produced by strain F52 in all six media was evaluated using soil-based bioassays with larval sugarbeet root maggots (SBRM). Granules (20 / 30 mesh) of F52 from all six media were incorporated into a dry, sieved, non-sterile clay soil used earlier at the rate of 14 mg granules / 60 g soil. Two separate production batches of granules were evaluated. The granules had been stored in sealed plastic bags at 5-9° C. for 7 months prior to use. The soils were moistened with reverse osmosis water to an end point of 15% Field Capacity (previously determined) and the water potentials determined with an AQUALAB moisture meter (Decagon Products, Pullman, Wash.). Resulting soil moistures were 0.982-0.983 Aw (−2.32 to −2.47 MPa matric potential), which moistures were sufficient for fungal outgrowth and sporulation. Permanent Wilting Point for most pl...

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Abstract

Microsclerotia of entomopathogenic fungi, including Metarhizium species, Beauveria species, and Lecanicillium species, may be produced. These microsclerotia are effective for the control of a wide variety of insect pests, particularly soil-dwelling insect pests.

Description

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION[0001]1. Field of the Invention[0002]The invention relates to the formation of microsclerotial propagules by entomopathogenic fungi and the use of those microsclerotia for the control of insects.[0003]2. Description of the Prior Art[0004]Chemical pesticides have been used for control of insect and weed control for over 60 years. Interest in the use of biologically-based pest control measures has been brought about by the development of pest resistance to many chemical pesticides coupled with public concerns about the adverse impact of widespread chemical use on human health, food safety and the environment (Gillespie and Moorhouse, 1989, Biotechnology of Fungi for Improving Plant Growth, pp 85-125; Hajek, 1993, New options for insect control using fungi, In, Pest Management: Biologically Based Technologies, (R. D. Lumsden and J. Vaugn, eds.) Amer. Chem. Soc., Washington, D.C.; Leathers et al., 1994, J. Industrial Microbiology 12:69-75). In the late 19th ce...

Claims

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Application Information

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Patent Type & Authority Applications(United States)
IPC IPC(8): A01N63/00A01P7/04C12N1/14A01N63/30
CPCA01N63/04A01G1/04A01N63/30A01G18/00A01N65/00
Inventor JACKSON, MARK A.JARONSKI, STEFAN T.
Owner US SEC AGRI
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