Efficacy of Entomopathogenic Fungi Alone and in Combination with Buprofezin Against Sogatella Furcifera (Horváth) on Rice

The whitebacked planthopper, Sogatella furcifera Horváth (Homoptera: Delphacidae), is a serious pest of rice crop in Pakistan. In the current study the efficacy of entomopathogenic fungi Beauveria bassiana, Metarhizium anisopliae and Akanthomyces lecanii was evaluated against whitebacked planthopper (WBPH) under laboratory and field conditions. There were two concentrations of entomopathogenic fungi (EPF, 1 × 10⁹ CFU/mL and 1 × 10⁸ CFU/mL) used in the bioassays. Combination of EPF with the insecticide buprofezin at low dose rates (0.001 mg/mL and 0.006 mg/mL) was also evaluated. Results showed that mortality of the pest ranged from 50–80% when EPF was used alone. Mortality of WBPH was 53–90% when buprofezin was combined with EPF. B. bassiana and M. anisopliae were more effective than A. Lecanii. In field trials, EPF were applied at the rate of 2.5 × 10¹² CFU/ha and buprofezin at the rate of 78 g/ha. Relative efficacies of EPF ranged from 40.54–59.17% when only using EPF after 21 days of the first application. Relative efficacy climbed to 71.62% and 70.20% when buprofezin was combined with B. bassiana and M. anisopliae, respectively, after 14 days of the first spray. The results revealed that EPF has the potential to control the population of WBPH. Additionally, their efficacy can be further enhanced by combining them with buprofezin even at low dose rates.