Insecticidal Activity of Paecilomyces fumosoroseus SFP-198 as a Multi-Targeting Biological Control Agent against The Greenhouse Whitefly and The Two-Spotted Spider Mite

An entomopathogenic fungus, Paecilomyces fumosoroceus SFP-198 was isolated in Kyungbuk province, Korea and screened out for the control of Trialeurodes vaporariorum nymphs. It showed 72.5% efficacy against second instars of T. vaporariorum nymphs at 6 days after treatment in the laboratory. To select an active ingredient for the mass production and the formulation, SFP-198 culture products were compared based on their insecticidal activities against T. vaporariorum nymphs. Among them, conidia and blastospores showed much higher insecticidal activity than supernatants. Furthermore, SFP-198 conidia were more heat-resistant than blastospores, and also powder form of conidia was more stable than their suspension form. SFP-198 conidia showed high pathogenicity on not only T. vaporariorum but also Tetranychus urticae in the glasshouse. This result suggested that SFP-198 conidia can be used as a multi-targeting biological control agent against sucking agri- cultural pests, such as whiteflies and mites.