Western flower thrips (WFT), Frankliniella occidentalis, is one of the most destructive pests of vegetables, fruits and ornamental crops worldwide, causing extensive damage by direct feeding of the crop and transmitting economically important viruses. Despite the successes of biocontrol agents to control WFT, more efficient and cost-effective ways must be found to encourage grower adoption of integrated pest management. A sustainable fungal treatment was developed to preserve fungal inoculum in potting soil and reduce thrips populations. Combining cooked, oven-dried millet with BotaniGard® (a commercial form of Beauveria bassiana strain GHA) to potting soil increased spore production and persistence of the fungus in the soil. In treated pots with millet, spore concentrations were 3–4 times greater after 30 days compared with spore yields at 10 days. The number of WFT adults was significantly lower in the marigold pots treated with GHA mix + millet than untreated controls, 12% and 10% in treated pots and 70% and 68% in untreated pots in sterile and non-sterile soil, respectively. Incorporation of millet in the potting mix enhanced the effect of the fungal treatments by providing a nutritive substrate on which the fungus could become established. This method is relatively inexpensive and easy for growers to use in greenhouses because granular formulations of B. bassiana are not commercially available.

中文翻译：

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使用自我维持颗粒真菌处理对西花蓟马（Frankliniella occidentalis）进行生物防治


西花蓟马（WFT），西花蓟马，是全世界蔬菜、水果和观赏作物最具破坏性的害虫之一，通过直接喂食作物并传播经济上重要的病毒而造成广泛的损害。尽管生物防治剂在控制 WFT 方面取得了成功，但必须找到更有效和更具成本效益的方法来鼓励种植者采用综合害虫管理。开发了一种可持续的真菌处理方法，以保留盆栽土壤中的真菌接种物并减少蓟马数量。将煮熟的烘干小米与 BotaniGard 结合® （一种商业形式白僵菌菌株GHA）添加到盆栽土壤中可以增加孢子产量和真菌在土壤中的持久性。在经过小米处理的盆中，与 10 天时的孢子产量相比，30 天后孢子浓度增加了 3-4 倍。在无菌和非无菌土壤中，用 GHA 混合物 + 小米处理的万寿菊盆中的 WFT 成虫数量显着低于未处理的对照，处理盆中分别为 12% 和 10%，未处理盆中为 70% 和 68%。在盆栽混合物中加入小米可以提供真菌生长的营养基质，从而增强真菌处理的效果。这种方法相对便宜并且易于种植者在温室中使用，因为颗粒配方白僵菌不可商用。