Characterization and Virulence of Entomopathogenic Fungi from Sunn Pests in Turkey

The sunn pests (Eurygaster spp.) which are important pests of wheat and barley, can lead to 100% yield loss in the case of an epidemic. This study was conducted to characterize the entomopathogenic fungi, obtained from the sunn pests collected from different overwintering areas of Turkey and determine their pathogenicity. Seventeen Beauveria pseudobassiana, 12 Beauveria bassiana, 16 Cordyceps farinosa, 1 Purpureocillium lilacinum, and 2 Clonostachys rosea species were identified. Pathogenicity tests were performed with three B. pseudobassiana, two B. bassiana, four C. farinosa, and one P. lilacinum isolates. B. pseudobassiana isolates BB34 and AF4 caused 100% death on the 9th day, and another B. pseudobassiana isolate E512 caused 100% death on the 12th day. C. farinosa isolate KOKA2 caused 95.8% death on the 15th day. Ultimately, B. pseudobassiana was determined to be the most prevalent and virulent species on sunn pests.