The impact of Beauveria bassiana, Trichogramma pretiosum, Bacillus thuringiensis and spinosad on the European corn borer (Ostrinia nubilalis)

The research examined the effects of microbial control strategies on the European corn borer (ECB). The European corn borer is one of the most devastating pests of field corn in corn-growing regions of the United States.

Method: Our research had 7 Microbial treatments and each treatment had five replications making a total of 35 plots. The treatments included spinosad, an insect growth regulator from bacteria, the entomopathogenic fungus Beauveria bassiana, Trichogramma pretiosum, foliar applied Bt spray, plus two combinations Beauveria bassiana and Bt spray, and Spinosad and Trichogramma pretiosum.

RESULTS: The infections by the European corn borer larvae on stalks of corn were severe in all the control treatments. The Microbial treatments applied to the corn imposed various degrees of restraints on the European corn borer larvae. In all the parameters there was a significant difference between the control and other treatments with a P value of <0.001. Spinosad emerged as the most effective biological agent in the control of the European corn borer.

Conclusion: The results of the research done on the abundance and composition of the arthropods in the treatment plots showed that different treatments applied to various plots had no effect on the abundance and composition of the arthropods. The P values obtained by one way ANOVA were greater than 0.05. This research is relevant in boosting alternative control strategies, underutilized control strategies for Ostrinia nubilalis and increasing farmers’ adoption of integrated pest management practices especially in organic farming thereby reducing the use of conventional insecticides.