Published in Scientific Bulletin. Series F. Biotechnologies, Vol. XXII
Written by Ana-Cristina FĂTU, Mihaela-Monica DINU, Ana-Maria ANDREI

The melolonthine scarabs, Melolontha melolontha L., Amphimallon solstitiale L. and Anoxia villosa F. are well known as serious pest in orchards, vineyards, forests and fruit tree nurseries. The susceptibility of third instars larvae of M. melolontha, A. solstitiale and A. villosa to entomopathogenic fungus Beauveria brongniartii (three isolates) and Metarhizium anisopliae (three isolates) was evaluated in laboratory conditions by dipping the insects in aqueous suspensions of 1x107 conidia/ml, respectively. The greatest mortality rates were observed to be caused by B. brongniartii isolates: 100% when M. melolontha larvae were treated and 60% mortality for A. villosa after 60 days of incubation. The most susceptible larvae species to M. anisopliae was A. villosa (35.5% mortality). The most resistant larvae species to all the fungal treatments was A. solstitiale at which mortality rate never exceeded 23.6% after 76 days of incubation.

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