Metarhizium acridum

Metarhizium acridum
Locust killed by M. acridum
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Fungi
Subkingdom:	Dikarya
Phylum:	Ascomycota
Class:	Sordariomycetes
Order:	Hypocreales
Family:	Clavicipitaceae
Genus:	Metarhizium
Species:	M. acridum
Binomial name
Metarhizium acridum (Driver & Milner) J.F. Bisch., Rehner & Humber (2009)

Metarhizium acridum^[1] is the new name given to a group of fungal isolates that are known to be virulent and specific to Acrididea. Previously, this species has had variety status in Metarhizium anisopliae (var. acridum^[2]) and before that, reference was made to M. flavoviride.^[3]

Biology

M. acridum almost exclusively infects grasshoppers in the suborder Caelifera of the Orthoptera. Various research groups, including the international LUBILOSA Programme [1] (which developed the product 'Green Muscle') have identified and addressed key technical challenges for exploitation of microbial control agents including: isolate selection, mass production and delivery systems (formulation and application).^[4] In other words, insect control (mortality) depends on factors like the number of spores applied against the insect host, the formulation^[5] and weather conditions.^[6] Oil-based formulations allow the application of fungal spores under dry conditions, and are compatible with existing Ultra-Low Volume (ULV) application techniques for locust control.

M. acridum is currently under consideration by the USDA for release in the Western U.S. for control of native grasshoppers and crickets.^[7]

Important Isolates

• IMI 330189 (= ARSEF 7486) is the ex-type of the species, originally collected from Niger: the active ingredient of 'Green Muscle'
• CSIRO FI 485 (= ARSEF 324) is an Australian isolate: the active ingredient of 'Green Guard'.

References

1. ^ Bischoff J.F., Rehner S.A. and Humber R.A. (2009). "A multilocus phylogeny of the Metarhizium anisopliae lineage". Mycologia 101 (4): 512–530. doi:10.3852/07-202. PMID 19623931. 
2. ^ Driver, F., Milner, R.J. and Trueman, W.H.A. (2000). "A Taxonomic revision of Metarhizium based on sequence analysis of ribosomal DNA". Mycological Research 104: 135–151. doi:10.1017/S0953756299001756. 
3. ^ Bateman, R.P., Carey, M., Batt, D., Prior, C., Abraham, Y., Moore, D., Jenkins, N., Fenlon J. (1996). "Screening for virulent isolates of entomopathogenic fungi against the desert locust, Schistocerca gregaria (Forskål)". Biocontrol Science and Technology 6: 549–560. doi:10.1080/09583159631181. 
4. ^ Lomer, C.J., Bateman, R.P., Johnson, D.L., Langewald, J. and Thomas, M. (2001). "Biological Control of Locusts and Grasshoppers". Annual Review of Entomology 46: 667–702. doi:10.1146/annurev.ento.46.1.667. PMID 11112183. 
5. ^ Burges, H.D. (ed.) (1998). Formulation of microbial biopesticides, beneficial microorganisms, nematodes and seed treatments. Dordrecht, Netherlands: Kluwer Academic. p. 412 pp.. ISBN 0412625202. 
6. ^ Thomas, M.H. and Blanford, S. (2003). "Thermal biology in insect-parasite interactions". Trends in Ecology and Evolution 18: 344–350. doi:10.1016/S0169-5347(03)00069-7. 
7. ^ "Rangeland Grasshopper and Mormon Cricket Program". USDA-APHIS. Archived from the original on 20 January 2011. http://webcache.googleusercontent.com/search?q=cache:JtCUuMiRUg8J:www.aphis.usda.gov/plant_health/plant_pest_info/grasshopper/index.shtml+http://www.aphis.usda.gov/plant_health/plant_pest_info/grasshopper/index.shtml&cd=1&hl=en&ct=clnk&gl=us. Retrieved 20 January 2011. 

See also

• Metarhizium
• LUBILOSA