Occurrence of entomopathogenic fungus, Metarhizium anisopliae isolated from island, bris and coastal soils of Terengganu, Malaysia
2018
Insyirah Ishak | Pong, Kuan Kin | Wahizatul Afzan Azmi | Muhammad Shahrul Hafiz Elham | Lee, Grace Ern Lin
Entomopathogenic Fungi (EPF) are environmental friendly biological control agent that can be used to control insect pests. These fungi can be found naturally from the soils of natural forest and agricultural areas. The main aims of this study were to isolate and determine the occurrence of EPF from soils of island, BRIS (Beach Ridges Interspersed with Swales) and coastal areas in Terengganu, Malaysia. The EPF were isolated from the soil samples by using insect baiting method with the larvae of mealworm, Tenebrio molitor. Physico-chemical analyses of soil such as soil texture, pH, water content and nitrogen analysis were also carried out in this study. Metarhizium anisopliae was the only EPF species found from the soil samples of the island of Taman Tropika Kenyir (three isolates) and BRIS soil of Marang (four isolates). No EPF was found in the coastal soil samples of Tok Jembal Beach. Significantly, larger spore size of M. anisopliae from island soil was recorded compared to BRIS soil (F=5.816, p<0.05). On Potato Dextrose Agar, the colony of M. Anisopliae was whitish yellow and turned to dark green when matured; slow growing with floccose mycelium. Lower water content and pH value were significantly associated with the lower occurrence of EPF in the island and BRIS soils. Further research can be carried out on the pathogenicity of M. Anisopliae against insect pests.
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