Innovative granular formulation of Metarhizium robertsii microsclerotia and blastospores for cattle tick control
The tick Rhipicephalus microplus poses a serious threat to the cattle industry, resulting in economic losses aggravated by tick resistance to chemical acaricides. Strains of Metarhizium spp., a well-known group of entomopathogenic fungi, can contribute to managing this ectoparasite. We explored two...
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| Published in: | Scientific reports Vol. 11; no. 1; pp. 4972 - 11 |
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| Main Authors: | , , , , , , |
| Format: | Journal Article |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
London
Nature Publishing Group UK
02-03-2021
Nature Publishing Group Nature Portfolio |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | Get full text |
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| Summary: | The tick
Rhipicephalus microplus
poses a serious threat to the cattle industry, resulting in economic losses aggravated by tick resistance to chemical acaricides. Strains of
Metarhizium
spp., a well-known group of entomopathogenic fungi, can contribute to managing this ectoparasite. We explored two novel granular, microsclerotia- or blastospores-based formulations of
Metarhizium robertsii
for
R. microplus
control under semi-field conditions. Fungal persistence in soil was also observed for 336 days. The experiment used pots of
Urochloa decumbens
cv. Basilisk grass, treated with 0.25 or 0.5 mg of granular formulation/cm
2
(25 or 50 kg/ha) applied to the soil surface prior to transferring engorged tick females onto the treated soil. The fungal granules yielded more conidia with subsequent sporulation under controlled indoor conditions than in the outdoor environment, where the levels of fungus rapidly declined over time.
Metarhizium
-root colonization ranged from 25 to 66.7% depending on the propagule and rate. Fungal formulations significantly reduced the number of tick larvae during the humid season, reaching at least 64.8% relative efficacy. Microsclerotia or blastospores-granular formulations of
M. robertsii
can reduce the impact of
R. microplus
, and thus prove to be a promising tool in the control of ticks. |
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| ISSN: | 2045-2322 2045-2322 |
| DOI: | 10.1038/s41598-021-84142-8 |