Effect of formulation and application method on the efficacy of aerial and submerged conidia of Metarhizium flavoviride for locust and grasshopper control

A study was carried out to investigate the relative infectivity of aerial and submerged conidia of Metarhizium flavoviride to Schistocerca gregaria and Zonocerus variegatus. The effect of formulation and application method on initial infectivity and field persistence of these conidia was investigated. Strain IMI 330189 was highly virulent to S. gregaria but showed relatively low virulence to Z. variegatus. Direct contact with conidia from the initial spray application resulted in 100% mortality of S. gregaria for all formulation and application combinations. The mean survival time of infected locusts was significantly shorter for treatments using a knapsack sprayer containing submerged conidia in water plus 10 ml litre(-1) 'Codacide'(R) (seven days), than treatments with aerial conidia in oil using ULV techniques (8.9 days) or submerged conidia in modified (water plus adjuvants) ULV (MULV) (nine days) or in water-based (VLV) applications (9.3 days). Both aerial and submerged conidia persisted long enough in the environment to effect significant mortality via secondary pick-up of spray residue from vegetation. Persistence was greatest in the ULV and MULV treatments, where the oil component of the formulations provided greater protection of the conidia from environmental stresses. The consequences of secondary pick-up of conidia from the different treatments on total mortality from a single application were examined using a simple host-pathogen model. This predicted that the ULV treatment would be much more effective than the other treatments under conditions where direct contact with the spray was limited. The results of these investigations are discussed in the context of development of optimum spray strategies for control of locusts and grasshoppers, and other pests, under different environmental conditions.