The struggle with the pests in crops show up just when the plants are thriving. But there’s a natural, effective solution that doesn’t just protect the crops but boosts the harvest as well? It’s Beauveria bassiana, a bio-insecticide by Peptech Biosciences Ltd.
Let’s start with understanding more about it. This is a bio-insecticidal fungus that controls crop pests. This natural agent can kill pests without showing any side effects on the crops and the environment. Pretty cool, right? But it’s not just any fungus, Beauveria bassiana is a true natural enemy of pests. It’s a cosmopolitan fungus that lives in the soil, parasitizes flying and soil insects, and helps protect the crops.
The Real Test: What happened in the field?
Now, let’s talk about the results that were obtained in a field trial study by Peptech Biosciences where Beauveria bassiana tested on three market gardening crops: tomato, cabbage, and cucumber. Here’s a breakdown of the observations:
Trial details
Product: Beauveria bassiana NLT 1×10⁸ CFU/g
Location: West Africa
Crops studied: Tomato (Solanum lycopersicum), Cabbage (Brassica oleracea), Cucumber (Cucumis sativus)
Season: Tropical, characterized by wet and dry seasons
Replication: Fisher block design with three replications
Doses tested:
- T1: 1 kg/ha
- T2: 2 kg/ha
- T3: 3 kg/ha
Application stages: Early morning treatments applied weekly post-transplantation.
Whiteflies, Jassids, and Heliothis control in tomato:
Tomatoes are one of the most popular crops, but they can be easily infested or targeted by pests like whiteflies (Bemisia tabaci), Jassids (Empoasca spp.), and Heliothis. These pests can lead to major loss in tomato yields. Here are the results:
- Best dose: T2 (2 kg/ha)
- Target pests: Whiteflies, Jassids, Heliothis
- Result obtained: 100% pest mortality after just one treatment!
- Yield impact: Healthy tomatoes soared to 76.5 per plot, with a total yield of 11,475 grams of fruit.
It is amazing that this dose obtained 100% results in the trial and no damage & no pests were found, just healthy, productive plants.
Cabbage: Taking on Aphids and Diamondback Moths
Cabbages face a serious threat from aphids and diamondback moths (Plutella xylostella). If left untreated, these pests can seriously impact a crop’s quality. But, with Beauveria bassiana, the result was:
- Best dose: T3 (3 kg/ha)
- Target pests: Aphids, Diamondback Moths
- Control achieved: Near-total control—pests practically disappeared!
- Yield impact: 45.75 average healthy cabbages per plot, with an average total weight of 24,125 grams.
Cucumber: Flea Beetles, Aphids, and Spodoptera—Controlled!
Cucumbers are a favorite in any garden, but pests like flea beetles (Phyllotreta sp.), aphids, and Spodoptera can make growing cucumbers a nightmare. Beauveria bassiana stepped up to the challenge:
- Best dose: T3 (3 kg/ha)
- Target pests: Flea Beetles, Aphids, Spodoptera
- Control achieved: Total pest control with zero infestation and damage.
- Yield impact: 34.5 average healthy cucumbers per plot with an average total weight of 15,550 grams. Talk about a bumper crop!
How did Beauveria bassiana work here?
Great question! Here’s where science gets interesting. The spores of the fungus land on the insect’s body, germinate, and penetrate the insect, eventually killing it from within. The fungus then spreads and sporulates there and becomes ready to attack any new pests that come along.
In simple terms: the fungus takes over the insect’s body and kills it without harming the plant. It’s a truly green solution!
Beauveria bassiana is an entomopathogenic parasitic fungus that infects and ultimately kills insects. This fungus is well-known for its ability to control agricultural pests such as aphids, whiteflies, thrips, and various beetles. It belongs to the phylum Ascomycota.
It produces white cotton like mycelia on infected insect cadavers. It produces small spores known as Conidia. These are hydrophobic and single-celled spores.
Let’s understand the life cycle of Beauveria bassiana and its infection process
Its conidia attach to the insect’s cuticle also known as exoskeleton using hydrophobic interactions and enzymatic activity. Its favorable conditions to grow are high humidity and moderate temperature of 20-30°C. Under these conditions, the spores germinate and penetrate the host’s cuticle.
Then it secretes extracellular enzymes such as chitinases, proteases, and lipases to break down the insect cuticle. After entering, the fungal hyphae proliferate and spread inside the body. Then it starts spreading in the insect’s body cavity. There it releases secondary metabolites such as beauvericin, bassianolide, and oosporein, which suppress the insect’s immune system and disrupt vital physiological processes. These toxins cause paralysis, dehydration, and ultimately death.
The insect dies within 3-10 days, depending on environmental conditions and the fungus comes out from the cadaver, sporulates, and produces conidia. This conidia can infect new hosts that come in contact with it.
Target pests: Moths, caterpillars, beetles, aphids, whiteflies, stink bugs, thrips.
Why choose Beauveria bassiana?
- It shows its efficacy by controlling 100% pests in crops.
- Does not affect non-targeted organisms.
- Not only controlled pests but along with that it increases yields.
- Can be used in different crops like tomatoes, cabbages, cucumbers, and many more crops.
Conclusion
Beauveria bassiana is an effective and eco-friendly pesticide that not only targets pests but also helps in increasing crops productivity. Why settle for ordinary pest control when there’s a natural, sustainable solution that controls various pests in various crops? It can be a part of the pest management routine. Contact Peptech Biosciences Ltd. to place bulk orders and experience the power of Beauveria bassiana in action! Let’s make the crops the best they can be!
