A Laboratory Scale: Formulation Test and Bioassay of Beauveria bassiana (Bals.) Vuill. Alginate Pellet Carrier Pathogenic to Spodoptera frugiferda (J.E.Smith)

Abstract

Corn is an important food ingredient because it is the second source of carbohydrates after rice. However, there are obstacles to the attack of the armyworm pest Spodoptera frugiferda (J.E.Smith) which is found in corn plantations in Gowa and Takalar Regencies, South Sulawesi. An alternative control solution that can be applied is the use of the entomopathogenic fungus Beauveria bassiana (Bals.) Vuill. In this study, formulation tests and bioassays of alginate pellet carriers will be carried out against S. frugiperda on a laboratory scale. The study was conducted from December 2021 to February 2022. Sampling of test larvae of S. frugiperda in corn plantations in Takalar Regency, propagation of the entomopathogenic fungus B. bassiana, alginate pellet production, and its application was carried out at the Pest Laboratory, Faculty of Agriculture, Hasanuddin University. The results showed that the alginate pellet formulation of B. bassiana could kill S. frugiperda larvae with different percentage levels of mortality. The treatment of 50 alginate pellets had a very significant effect with the most influential mortality among other treatments, which was equal to 80%, and had the lowest percentage rate of pupal and imago development. The addition of bran, wheat flour, tapioca flour, and corn flour formulations had an effect on the spore density of the B. bassiana alginate pellets. The P3 treatment (wheat flour) had a high spore density of 2.35 x 108 spores per ml with high mortality of S. frugiperda larvae on days 6-9 days after treatment.