Comparative effectiveness of bioassay methods in identifying the most virulent entomopathogenic fungal strains to control Bemisia tabaci (Gennadius) (Hemiptera: Aleyrodidae)

Egyptian Journal of Biological Pest Control

Table 3 Comparative mycelia growth, spore production, mortality of whitefly nymphs, and bioefficacy index of entomopathogenic fungal isolates

Treatments (isolates)	Mycelial growth^a	Spore ml⁻¹ (10⁷)^b	Percent corrected mortality over control (1 × 10⁶)^c			Biological efficacy index^d
Treatments (isolates)	Mycelial growth^a	Spore ml⁻¹ (10⁷)^b	3 DAI^**	5DAI	7DAI	Biological efficacy index^d
C. javanica-089	81.0a	54.7cd	42.4 (40.6)de	73.9 (59.3)cd	77.6 (61.8)c	75.4a
C. javanica-102	80.1a	56.6bd	38.6 (38.4)def	61.7 (51.8)e	81.0 (64.2)b	77.0a
F. moniliforme-083	76.5ab	63.3abc	42.0 (40.4)de	76.3 (60.9)bc	76.7 (61.1)c	74.6ab
C. javanica-099	69.7bc	34.7e	49.3 (44.6)cd	78.3 (62.2)bc	81.1 (64.2)b	70.2cd
M. anisopliae-1299	64.0c	34.9e	77.4 (61.6)a	82.7 (65.4)ab	86.7 (68.6)ab	71.0bc
B. bassiana-409	64.0c	69.9a	20.3 (26.8)f	62.1 (52.0)e	78.2 (62.2)c	72.0bc
B. bassiana-4565	62.4c	14.7	57.2 (49.1)bcd	76.6 (61.1)bc	89.9 (71.5)a	69.1de
B. bassiana-4511	59.3cd	65.3ab	75.0 (60.0)ab	88.6 (70.3)a	95.1 (77.2)	78.1a
B. bassiana-6097	51.7d	43.9e	23.6 (29.1)ef	64.4 (53.4)de	81.7 (64.7)bc	65.5e
B. bassiana-4543	50.3d	58.6b	67.4 (55.2)abc	80.0 (63.4)bc	85.4 (67.5)ab	69.1de
CD at (P < 0.05)	8.23	10.23	11.97	6.05	5.04	1.04
Variance	24.15	41.21	43.33	36.64	25.39	4.12

**Mean values followed by the same letter are not significantly different from each other at (P < 0.05)
^aMycelial growth diameter was measured (in mm) at 10 days post inoculation (DAI) from the Petri plates
^bThe spore concentration per milliliter was measured at 10 DAI using 5 mm mycelial disc from the Petri plates
^cFigure in parenthesis are arcsign transformed values of percent nymphal mortality (2nd to 3rd nymphal instars)
^dBiological efficacy index (BI) = mycelia growth (mm), sporulation (1 × 10⁷ conidia ml⁻¹); nymphal mortality at 7 DAI (%); BI = 35 (MG) + 15 (SP) + 50 (MO at 7 DAI)