Effectiveness of entomopathogenic fungi for the control of Euschistus heros
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.33837/msj.v9i1.1756Keywords:
biological control, bioinputs, Glycine maxAbstract
The Neotropical brown stink bug, Euschistus heros, is considered one of the most important pests of soybean crops. Entomopathogenic fungi are a group of organisms that have attracted attention due to their potential in pest biological control. The aim of this study was to evaluate the control of E. heros using different species of entomopathogenic fungi and varying doses of the mycoinsecticide. Two experiments were conducted under laboratory conditions. In the first experiment, the fungi Metarhizium anisopliae, Cordyceps javanica, and Beauveria bassiana were used to evaluate total and confirmed mortality of E. heros in both nymphal and adult stages. A second experiment was conducted to assess adult E. heros mortality at different doses of M. anisopliae (6.15 × 10⁶, 6.15 × 10⁷, 6.15 × 10⁸, and 6.15 × 10⁹ conidia mL⁻¹ + control treatment). Total and confirmed mortality data were analyzed using generalized linear models (GLMs), while concentration data were fitted to a GAMLSS model (Generalized Additive Model for Location, Scale, and Shape). Among the fungi studied, M. anisopliae caused the highest total mortality in nymphs. In adults, no significant differences were observed among the species. At different concentrations of M. anisopliae, the 6.15 × 10⁸ and 6.15 × 10⁹ conidia mL⁻¹ treatments resulted in high total mortality and a shorter interval between mycoinsecticide application and insect death. The results indicate that M. anisopliae is a viable alternative for integrated pest management, showing promising potential for controlling E. heros under laboratory conditions. Further studies under field conditions are needed for practical validation.
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Copyright (c) 2026 Vanessa Silva Caixeta, Kaylaine Aparecida Gomes Souza, Gustavo Silva Leite, Flávio Gonçalves Jesus, André Cirilo Souza Almeida
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