Although the blackberry from Castilla is one of the fruits with the greatest potential for development in the Andean region, it is facing serious phytosanitary problems due to the Eurohizococcus colombianus plague, also known as the Pearl of the land, which causes economic losses and total crop damage.
In order to know their characteristics and propose management alternatives to the plague, Pedro Antonio Zapata Ospina, Master of Science from the National University of Colombia, determined the spatial distribution of the insect on the blackberry's roots and evaluated the effect of applying the Materhizium anisopliae and the Isaria fumosorosea fungi in a greenhouse.
The magistrate evaluated the effect of the entomopathogenics on 50 seedlings that had been artificially infested with the insect, to learn how they reacted to these fungi, with five treatments and an experimental block design with four replications.
Zapata Ospina stated that the treatment that caused the greatest insect mortality had been performed with the Isaria fumosoroseam fungus, a powerful natural enemy of the pests belonging to the Hemiptera and Homoptera orders.
It's worth noting that the fungus produces a tube that branches through the insect's body, secreting toxins that kill it. Under high humidity, the mummified remains of the dead insect are covered with a whitish sporulation.
The fungus Isaria fumosorosea is an optimal choice for pest control, as it has a 87.9% efficiency after 66 days after application.
Source: Fresh Fruit Portal