Enhancing the Efficacy of Beauveria bassiana for Bedding Plant Insect Pests

Abstract

Growers frequently request help in the development of biorational IPM programs for bedding plants, especially vegetable transplants and herbs. Before Cornell Cooperative Extension Educators can recommend insect-killing fungi such as Beauveria bassiana for bedding plant protection we must first demonstrate efficacy and show how the products fit into an IPM strategy. In this trial, growers applied Botanigard (B. bassiana), Botanigard + Azatin, and Azatin alone to vegetable and flower bedding plants, and herbs to attempt to see whether the insect growth regulator Azatin would increase the ability of the beneficial fungus to parasitize aphids. Few pesticides are labeled for vegetable bedding plants in greenhouses, yet customers want to buy pest-free plants for their gardens. Due to circumstances beyond our control, this field research did not yield any data for comparison of the treatments.