Laboratory Assessment of the Efficacy of Some Biopesticides on Aspects of the Life Performance of the Callsobruchus maculates

Abstract

Callosobruchus maculatus, the Southern Cowpea Beetle, is one of the most damaging pests that feeds on stored seeds, severely reducing their nutritional content by compromising their quality and marketability. It is critical to identify a viable substitute for chemical pesticides, which not only have high costs but also numerous detrimental effects on both humans and the environment, as a result of the beetles' development of resistance to them. Therefore, the goal of the current study was to employ various biopesticides made from entomopathogenic fungus, which are fungi that feed on insects, and investigate the potential effects of these pesticides on the life performance of the C. maculatus, which is significant for both nutrition and the economy. The study aimed to find a promising alternative to chemical pesticides by using biopesticides derived from entomopathogenic fungi. The results of the current laboratory study showed a significant effect of the two biopesticides, L. lecanii and M. anisopliae, in increasing the mortality rate of eggs and adult stages of the C. maculatus. After 9 days of exposure to the biopesticide, M. anisopliae produced the maximum mortality rate for both eggs and adults at a concentration of 5x10⁷ g/L. The biopesticides M. anisopliae and L. lecani iwere exposed to the eggs and adults that had the lowest death rate one day later. Based on the current study's findings, it can be said that using the biopesticides M. anisopliae and L. lecanii can help control the Southern Cowpea Beetle and lessen the need for chemical pesticides.