This slide is about the entomopathogenic fungus which is a fungus that can act as a parasite of insects and kills or seriously disables them. Since they are considered natural mortality agents and environmentally safe, there is worldwide interest in the use and manipulation of entomopathogenic fungi for biological control of insects and other arthropod pests.

1. By
V. Vigneshwaran
BASIC
madonscience.blogspot.com
WITH A SPECIAL FOCUS ON
Beauveria bassiana and
Hirsutella

2. Beauveria
bassiana

3. Entomopathogenic Fungus
An entomopathogenic fungus is a fungus that can act as a parasite of insects and
kills or seriously disables them.
Since they are considered natural mortality agents and environmentally safe, there
is worldwide interest in the use and manipulation of entomopathogenic fungi for
biological control of insects and other arthropod pests.
In particular, the asexual phases of Ascomycota (Beauveria spp., Lecanicillium
lecanii, Metarhizium spp., Paecilomyces spp. and others) are under intense scrutiny
due to the traits favouring their use as biological insecticides.

4. Beauveria bassiana, Introduction
Is a fungus
Grows naturally in soils throughout the world and acts as a parasite on various
arthropod species,
Causes white muscardine disease
Belongs to the entomopathogenic fungi.
It is being used as a biological insecticide to control a number of pests
such as termites, thrips, whiteflies, aphids and different beetles.

5. Chronicles,
BEHIND
The fungus, Beauveria bassiana, was named
after the Italian entomologist research scientist
Agostino Bassi de Lodi.
He discovered it in 1835 while he was studying
the white muscadine disease in silkworms. At
that time the focus of his research was on
preventing the disease.
He determined that the disease was caused by
B. bassiana, a fungus that was present in the
soil.
It was formerly also known as Tritirachium shiotae.
Agostino Bassi de Lodi

6. Stiff Silkworm is the dried body of
4th~5th stage larva of Bombyx mori L.
(Fam. bombycidae) died of infection (or
artificial infection) of Beauveria bassiana
(Bals. ) Vuill.

7. Scientific Classification
Kingdom: Fungi
Phylum: Ascomycota
Class: Sordariomycetes
Order: Hypocreales
Family: Cordycipitaceae
Genus: Beauveria
Species: B. bassiana
Beauveriabassiana

8. Mode of action
These fungi usually attach to the external body surface of insects in the form of microscopic spores
(usually asexual, mitosporic spores also called conidia).
Under permissive conditions of temperature and (usually high) moisture, these spores germinate,
grow as hyphae and colonize the insect's cuticle; eventually they bore through it and reach the
insects' body cavity (hemocoel).
Then, the fungal cells proliferate in the host body cavity, usually as walled hyphae or in the form of
wall-less protoplasts (depending on the fungus involved).
After some time the insect is usually killed (sometimes by fungal toxins) and new propagules (spores)
are formed in/on the insect if environmental conditions are again permissive; usually high humidity is
required for sporulation.
Beauvericin
When the conidia land on an insect they secrete enzymes that eat through the cuticle and release
beauvericin, a toxin.
The fungus replicates and feeds on the host, killing it in about three to seven days depending on
conditions. After the host dies, the fungus continues to feed off of its dead host covering it in a white
powdery mold. B. bassiana then releases its conidia spores and the cycle is complete.

10. Biology of Beauveria
Beauveria bassiana is an aggressive parasite of many different insect host species. Not
only does it have a wide host range but insects are attacked at larval or adult stages.
The spores are tiny, measuring only a few microns.
The hyphae and spores are non pigmented (hyaline) and so colonies appear white in
cultures or tufts of white mycelium bearing masses of powdery spores burst out through
the body parts of infected insects as in the cicada, hawkmoth and chinch bugs illustrated
below.

11. Sympodial Spore Production in Beauveria
The spore producing apparatus in Beauveria is small and delicate.
In B. bassiana the spores are produced sympodially. A spore is produced at the tip of the mother cell and the
growth of the mother cell ceases. A new growing point initiates just below this terminal spore, grows past it, and a
second spore is produced at a higher level. This uses up the new growing point and a third growing point is then
initiated just below the second spore. Every time a spore is produced the hyphal tip is used up and a new growing
point is produced. In this way a succession of spores is produced with the youngest spore at the tip (= i.e acropetal
succession) and the spore head gets longer and longer. When all the spores secede (= are dislodged) the spore-
bearing tip of the conidiogenous cell has a zig zag appearance and is referred to as a rachis ( this term is also used
for the seed head in wheat when all the seeds are gone).

13. Formulation:
Talc carrier based product. The
product has minimum shelf life
of one year from the date of
manufacture.
Composition:
Beauveria bassiana 1% (w/w)
Sticking agent – CMC – 1%.
Inactive Ingredients 98.0%
(Moisture 35%, talc 63%)

14. Panther - BB, a microbial insecticide,
is of fungal origin causing a lethal
disease (white muscadine disease) in
insects.
Wide variety of insects like white flies,
aphids, mealy bugs, thrips, leaf
hoppers etc. succumb to the
application of Panther - BB. Panther
BB does not leave any residual
toxicity on the crops
Beauvaria, Commercially…

15. Wide range of targets
 Aphids
 Whiteflies
 Mealybugs
 Psyllids
 Grasshoppers
 Thrips
 Termites
 Fire ants
 Flies
 Stem Borers
 Mites
 Fungal gnats
 Shoreflies
 Lygus bugs
 Chinch bug
Beetles
 Black vine weevil
 Strawberry root weevil
 Coffee borer beetle
 Colorado potato beetle
 Mexican bean beetle
 Japanese beetle
 Boll weevil
 Cereal leaf beetle
 Bark beetles
Caterpillars
 European corn borer
 Codling moth
 Douglas fir tussock moth
 Silkworm

16. Current Research and Uses
Beauveria bassiana kills some insect pests that eat crops.
There are a number of ongoing studies being conducted by educational institutions
and commercial pest control producers.
The long list of insect pests that can be controlled by Beauveria bassiana include:
Colorado potato beetle, May beetle, Argentine stem weevil, whitefly, aphids, thrips,
mealybugs, psyllids, weevils, caterpillars, fungus gnats, shoreflies, leafhoppers and
malaria-spreading mosquitoes.
Its use in the control of malaria-transmitting mosquitosis under investigation
Although no specific harm has been shown to humans, precautions should be taken
when using commercially manufactured Beauveria bassiana.

17. Hirsutella

18. Hirsutella – Introduction
Hirsutella is a genus of asexually reproducing fungi in the Ophiocordycipitaceae
family.
Originally described by French mycologist Narcisse Théophile Patouillard in 1892,
this genus includes species that are pathogens of insects, mites and nematodes;
There is interest in the use of these fungi as biological controls of insect and
nematode pests.

19. Scientific classification
Kingdom:Fungi
Division:Ascomycota
Subdivision:Pezizomycotina
Class:Sordariomycetes
Order:Hypocreales
Family:Ophiocordycipitaceae
Genus:Hirsutella
Hirsutella

20. •
Patouillard’s description
about the Hirsutella
It consits of yellowish or hyaline
mycelium covering the beetle larva or
arthropods
The synnemata which arise from the all
parts of the insects are simple, slender,
narrowing upward (1-3 mm long, 0.1-
0.2 mm thick)
The phialides are crowded and
compactly bundled.
The lower portions of the phialides are
elliptical, subulate and they abrubtly
narrow at the apex.
Most are covered with persistant
mucus forming a globose droplet (4-
7µ)

21. Entomogenous Species of Hirsutella
A. SPECIES ON ORTHOPTERA
[Grasshoppers and locusts; crickets]
Hirsutella fusiformis
B. SPECIES ON HOMOPTERA
[Plant lice (aphids); whiteflies; cicadas; leafhoppers; plant hoppers;
scale insects and mealybugs; spittle insects]
Hirsutella citriformis
Hirsutella abeitina
C. SPECIES Of COLEOPTERA
[Beetles]
Hirsutella entomophila

22. …Continued
D. SPECIES ON LEPIDOPTERA
[Moths and butterflies]
Hirsutella barberi
Hirsutella subulata
Hirsutella gigantea
E. SPECIES ON DIPTERA
[true flies and mosquitoes and gnats and crane flies]
Hirsutella radiata
Hirsutella dipterigena
F. SPECIES ON HYMENOPTERA
[bees; wasps; ants; ichneumons; sawflies; gall wasps; etc.]
Hirsutella saussurei
Hirsutella formicarum

23. Hirsutella radiata
Hirsutella entomophila

24. H. saussurei, on Polistes
annuloris, Georgia, synnemata
H. sawsurei, on Polistes
rubiginosus, Arkansas, Nest with
infected wasps

25. Hirsutella citriformis

26. Hirsutella barberi Hirsutella subulata Hirsutella gigantea
Hirsutella subulata, Berryville, showing
section through bark with larva below and synnemata above

27. Hirsutella lecaniicola (Hyphomycetes) killing scale
insects and producing synnematal conidiomata on them.

28. One of a couple of spores [Hirsutella thompsonii]
that will infect the virrolla mites.

29. Study about the Hirsutella is based on
Farlow Herbarium (Harvard University)
The Herbarium of the New York Botanical Garden
The Herbarium of the University of Michigan
The Herbarium of the Florida Agricultural Experiment station

30. Conclusion
Since, because different strains are now being used as insect pest control, studies
are ongoing as to the degree of mutation that occurs in the soil. Retaining the
properties which make it an effective pest control, and preventing the qualities which
cause it to be harmful to beneficial insects, is the topic of several ongoing studies.
Its use in the control of malaria-transmitting mosquitosis are under investigation.

31. Webliography
http://www.mycologia.org/content/96/4/929.full
http://www.piercesdisease.org/papers/1032
http://www.greenmaxagrotech.com/beauveria-
bassiana.html
http://www.uoguelph.ca/~gbarron/MISCELLANEOUS/nov
01.htm
http://www.ehow.com/about_6698075_life-cycle-
beauveria.html
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Beauveria_bassiana
http://www.king-stone.co/Products/show.asp?id=498
http://www.gardeningrhythms.com/OnLineShows/Soil/Micr
oBio/ControlingPests.html
http://www.fotocommunity.com/pc/pc/display/25339321
NOTE: ALL THE IMAGES THAT WERE USED IN THIS POWER POINT SLIDES WERE
DOWNLOADED FROM THE GOOGLE IMAGES.

32. Thank you
AUTHOR INFORMATION
By Vigneshwaran V.
PhD Scholar, Kuvempu University, INDIA
Follow me at,
https://twitter.com/vvigneshwaran14
https://www.facebook.com/vignesh.waran.7731247
Mail to,
vikkku@yahoo.com
YOU COULD ALSO DOWLOAD THE SAME SLIDES FROM :
http://madonscience.blogspot.in/
MAD
ON SCIENCE