Pathogenicity of Ethiopian Isolates of Metarhizium anisopliae and Beauveria bassiana against the Tsetse Fly, Glossina morsitans morsitans

Abstract

Entomopathogenic fungi, M. anisopliae EE, M. anisopliae MM, B. bassiana FF, B. bassiana GG, and B. bassiana AK isolated from different sources in Ethiopia were evaluated against the tsetse fly, Glossina morsitans morsitans in the laboratory. M. anisopliae isolates EE and MM caused mortalities o f 96.67% and 73.33%, respectively while B. bassiana isolates coded as FF, GG, and AK showed percent moralities o f 75.00%, 63.33% and 53.33%, respectively. B. bassiana FF was significantly better than B. bassiana AK (P<0.05). Spore production o f presumably promising isolates, M. anisopliae MM and EE, was determined on solid substrates, whole grains o f rice, wheat, barley and sorghum. Both isolates grew best on rice giving a yield o f 1.42 X 109 spores/gram o f rice for M. anisopliae MM and 1.62 X 10? spore/ gram o f rice for M. anisopliae EE. No relationship was observed between moisture content o f grain types and spore yield (P > 0.05). The potential o f the isolates for the control o f tsetse flies is discussed.