shahid hussain
The invasive polyphagous pest fall armyworm is a migratory pest of maize crop in Asia including Pakistan. It is mostly feed on leaves at larval stage this pest can be controlled by various types of pesticides globally but now resistance has come in pest against insecticides. So control strategies including physical, biological, mechanical Eco-friendly fungus Beauveria bassiana, Trichoderma and Metarhizium anisopliae instead of chemical control method. By this we can save our ecosystem and nature from hazardous effects of chemicals. According to in vitro bioassay of entomopathogenic fungi like B. bassiana Trichoderma and M. anisopliae under control condition M. anisopliae was found very effective on Fall armyworm 1 st 2 nd 3 rd and 4 th instar larvae and mortality percent was recorded 85.5% on 1 st 2 nd and 3 rd instar larvae at 40ppm dose while minimum mortality was recorded 18.6% on 10ppm dose of Trichoderma during bioassay under control condition. During second instar larvae of bioassay entomopathogenic fungi M.anisopliae was recorded very effective and showed mortality of FAW up to 83.3% at dose of 40ppm after exposer of three days at 25C approximately. While minimum mortality of FAW was recorded at 10 ppm after exposer of three days. In 2 nd instar larvae exposer M. anisopliae was found entomopathogenic potentials and Couse highest mortality of FAW the minimum mortality was recorded 48% on 10ppm dose exposer of M. anisopliae after three days at 25C and approximately 53% humidity.The studies show that entomopathogenic potentials of fungi decrease with increasing larval instars. On 3 rd and 4 th instar larvae only M. anisopliae was recorded effective and mitigate the larvae population 78.5% at 40 ppm and 55.8% mortality was observed on 4 th instar larvae after exposer of three days among all M. anisopliae was found potential insecticidal properties as compare to B.bassiana and Trichoderma. This comparative study shows that M. anisopliae was found highest insecticidal properties as compare to B. bassiana and Trichoderma. So M. anisopliae was found broad spectrum insecticidal potentials on FAW multiple larval stages under control condition. Among all only M. anisopliae was found exophytic sporulation characters and dynamic insecticidal potentials while B.bassiana and Trichoderma was recorded as endosporulation charecters.
