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Isolation, characterization and virulence of entomopathogenic fungi from Gryllotalpa gryllotalpa (Orthoptera: Gryllotalpidae)

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Abstract

Mole crickets are significant pests of turf, vegetable and some tree seedlings worldwide, and it is costly to control them. In this study, we obtained 15 fungal isolates from Gryllotalpa gryllotalpa L. (Orthoptera: Gryllotalpidae) and compared the efficacy of these isolates against this pest with the aim of identifying their biocontrol potential. The fungal isolates were identified based on their morphological and molecular characteristics, using ITS, EF1-α, Bloc, RPB1, RPB2 and β-Tubulin gene sequencing. Consequently, the isolates were identified as Beauveria bassiana (Balsamo) Vuillemin (Gg-1), Clonostachys sp. (Gg-2, Gg-3, Gg-5, Gg-6, Gg-8 and Gg-13), Bionectria sp. (Gg-4), Metarhizium anisopliae (Metschnikoff) Sorokin (Gg-7, Gg-12 and Gg-14), Clonostachys rogersoniana (Schroers) (Gg-9 and Gg-15), Myriodontium sp. (Gg-10) and Myriodontium keratinophilum (Samson and Polon.) (Gg-11). These isolates caused mortalities ranging from 0 to 87 %, with the most virulent fungus being M. anisopliae Gg-12, which caused 87 % mortality within 15 days post inoculation using a conidial concentration of 1 × 107 conidia ml−1. Concentration–response test was conducted to determine the LC50 value of M. anisopliae Gg-12, and it was calculated as 1.069 × 106 conidia ml−1. As a result, M. anisopliae Gg-12 can be further investigated in terms of controlling mole crickets.

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Acknowledgments

We would like to thank Dr. Richard Humber for his kind help with the morphological characterization of fungi, and to acknowledge with gratitude the input and insight of Tariq M. Butt for developing the discussion section and providing recommendations for this manuscript. Also, we would like to thank Özkan Görgülü for his advice on statistical analysis. This study was supported by Karadeniz Technical University, Scientific Research Projects Division (Project Number: KTU 8625).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Biology, Faculty of Science, Karadeniz Technical University, 61080, Trabzon, Turkey

    Emine Sönmez, Zihni Demirbağ & İsmail Demir

  2. Genetic and Bioengineering, Faculty of Engineering and Architecture, Ahi Evran University, 40100, Kırşehir, Turkey

    Ali Sevim

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  1. Emine Sönmez
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  2. Ali Sevim
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Correspondence to Emine Sönmez.

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Sönmez, E., Sevim, A., Demirbağ, Z. et al. Isolation, characterization and virulence of entomopathogenic fungi from Gryllotalpa gryllotalpa (Orthoptera: Gryllotalpidae). Appl Entomol Zool 51, 213–223 (2016). https://doi.org/10.1007/s13355-015-0390-3

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