Latest Publications
Improved control of Trialeurodes vaporariorum using mixture combinations of entomopathogenic fungi and the chemical insecticide spiromesifen
Eleanor L. Dearlove, David Chandler, Steve Edgington, Shaun D. Berry, Gareth Martin, Claus Svendsen & Helen Hesketh
Management of T. vaporariorum is problematic because of widespread pesticide resistance, and many greenhouse growers rely on biological control agents to regulate T. vaporariorum populations. However, these are often slow and vary in efficacy, leading to subsequent application of chemical insecticides when pest populations exceed threshold levels. In this study, we evaluated co-applications of the entomopathogenic fungi (EPF) Beauveria bassiana and Cordyceps farinosa and the chemical insecticide spiromesifen in laboratory bioassays. Results indicate the potential for combined applications of EPF and spiromesifen as an effective integrated pest management strategy and demonstrate the applicability of the MixTox model to describe complex mixture interactions.