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Aerial treatment of the Australian plague locust, Chortoicetes terminifera (Orthoptera: Acrididae) with Metarhizium anisopliae (Deuteromycotina: Hyphomycetes)

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  09 March 2007

D.M. Hunter ,
R.J. Milner  and
P.A. Spurgin
D.M. Hunter*
Affiliation:
Australian Plague Locust Commission, Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry, GPO Box 858, Canberra ACT 2601, Australia
R.J. Milner
Affiliation:
CSIRO Entomology, GPO Box 1700, Canberra, ACT 2601, Australia
P.A. Spurgin
Affiliation:
Australian Plague Locust Commission, Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry, GPO Box 858, Canberra ACT 2601, Australia
*
*Fax: 61 1 2 6272 5024 E-mail: david.hunter@affa.gov-au
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Abstract

Between October 1999 and April 2000, nearly 4000 ha of nymphal bands and adult swarms of Chortoicetes terminifera (Walker) were aerially treated using a ULV oil formulation of strain FI-985 of Metarhizium anisopliae var. acridum. During the mild weather (maxima 22–30°C) of spring (October), there was little change in nymphal bands during the first week but at all doses between 25–100 g (1–4 × 1012 conidia) ha−1, the bands rapidly declined 9–12 days after treatment reaching > 90%mortality by 14 days. Metarhizium persisted for some time as there was 50% mortality of locusts fed vegetation collected from the treated blocks seven days after treatment. Persistence was confirmed by the high mortality of bands that invaded from untreated areas and of nymphs that hatched on the plot five to seven days after treatment, though mortality was then delayed until early in the third week. During summer (January), temperatures were high (maxima 36–42°C), and at all doses between 25 and 125 g (1–5 × 1012 conidia) ha−1, there was a rapid decline seven to ten days after treatment. By 12–14 days, there was a > 90% decline in numbers in most blocks which was confirmed by helicopter surveys two weeks after treatment that found very few adults within or near treated areas. Mortality was delayed in the high dose where there were blockages of spray equipment during treatment. The clear demonstration that Metarhiziumcan suppress small local populations of C. terminifera led to the limited operational use of Metarhizium on an organic farm and in a National Park where nearly 2500 ha of bands and swarms were treated. Continued research is needed to develop a commercially viable product so that Metarhizium can form a significant part of a programme of integrated pest management of locusts in Australia.

Type
Research Article
Information
Bulletin of Entomological Research , Volume 91 , Issue 2 , April 2001 , pp. 93 - 99
Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press 2001

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