Assessment of Aphidicidal Effect of Entomopathogenic Fungi against Parthenogenetic Insect, Mustard Aphid, Lipaphis erysimi (Kalt.)

Today, eco-friendly pest management is widely preferred. Prior to implementation, however, the entomopathogenic fungi must undergo thorough testing. Our study showcases the effectiveness of an entomopathogenic fungal library in combating the mustard aphid, serving as a prime example of its potential.

Reduction of the high mortality rate of the entomopathogenic fungi pre-treatment and the prevention of in the spore suspension is challenging. We have successfully developed a stable system that yielded the expected result. This involve the use of a popular system or bioassay chamber to effectively maintain this tiny pest during the testing process.

This protocol successfully demonstrates a feasible way to set up the detached-leaf method without the need of measuring agar temperature, thereby simplifying the establishment of the experimental chamber. In addition, we propose the importance of minimizing the exposure of the agar surface to prevent the aphids from getting stuck while roaming inside the chamber. We are intrigued by the immune response of the mustard aphid when confronted with entomopathogenic fungal prior to aphid mortality.

By studying gene expression data, we can identify critical genes that could serve as potential targets for gene knockdown, in combination of entomopathogenic fungal application.