Efficacy of <i>Beauveria bassiana</i> and Mechanical Traps for the Control of <i>Aclees taiwanensis</i> (Coleoptera: Curculionidae) in Fig Plants
2023
Ilaria Cutino | Claudia Benvenuti | Giuseppe Mazza | Barbara Conti | Daniele Marraccini | Elisabetta Gargani
The black weevil <i>Aclees taiwanensis</i> Kôno, 1933 (Coleoptera: Curculionidae) is a xylophagous insect native to Southeast Asia and introduced to Italy in 2005. Here, the species completes its entire life cycle on <i>Ficus carica</i> L., causing economic damage and leading to the plants’ death. Nowadays, there are no insecticides registered for its control. In this study, a commercial product based on <i>Beauveria bassiana,</i> Naturalis<sup>®</sup>, was associated with Rincotrap<sup>®</sup> tissue. Semi-field trials were carried out on fig seedlings by comparing two different concentrations (3% and 10%) of this entomopathogenic fungus distributed in suspension on Rincotrap<sup>®</sup> bands. The results showed that the fungal product had a biocidal effect in both treatments. Afterward, trials were conducted in a fig orchard in order to verify the effectiveness of this association in the field. The addition of Naturalis<sup>®</sup> at a 3% concentration to Rincotrap<sup>®</sup> bands did not alter the number of adults captured. The total mortality was 43.7% and 23.8%, respectively, in the treated and control plots. Among the total number of dead adults, only the mortality rates of <i>B. bassiana</i> exceeded 70% in both plots. Further long-term studies in several environments are necessary to improve this technique and create an integrated control system for the black fig weevil.
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