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Efficacy of spot-spray application of Metarhizium anisopliae formulated in emulsifiable extract of Calpurnia aurea in attracting and infecting adult Rhipicephalus appendiculatus ticks in semi-field experiments

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Abstract

The efficacy of spot-spray application of conidia of Metarhizium anisopliae (Metsch.) Sorok. conidia formulated in an emulsifiable extract of Calpurnia aurea (Ait.) Benth in attracting and infecting Rhipicephalus appendiculatus Neumann, 1901 ticks was evaluated in semi-field experiments. Formulation was applied on a 900-cm² spot and ticks released from various distances. Attracted ticks were individually placed in glass vials to determine the number of M. anisopliae conidia picked by a single tick. Infected ticks were either transferred in glass vials or maintained in the laboratory until death or exposed to rabbits in order to investigate the effects of fungal infection on feeding and potential reproduction parameters. Data showed that individual ticks picked between 3.2 and 4.1 × 105 conidia. Mortality of 83 % was observed among ticks maintained in the laboratory conditions. The engorgement period of fungus-infected ticks significantly increased by 16 % compared to the control. A significant reduction (P < 0.0001) was recorded in body weight, egg-mass and egg hatchability from fungus-infected females. It is therefore possible to use M. anisopliae formulated in C. aurea extract for an integrated pest management approach. This study showed that conidia of M. anisopliae formulated in C. aurea extract are effective in attracting, infecting and causing mortalities of R. appendiculatus ticks. Moreover, the reproduction performance of fungus-infected females was significantly reduced.

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Acknowledgments

The first author received fellowship from the Bioscience Eastern and Central Africa Network (BecANet) and the Canadian International Development Agency (CIDA). The authors wish therefore to thank BecANet, CIDA, icipe and the curator of the Lowveld National Botanical Garden who gave permission for the collection of plant material. We also extend our gratitude to Drs K. Fiaboe and S. Subramanian for reviewing the manuscript, as well as Misses E. Ouna and B.A. Obonyo for their technical assistance.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. International Centre of Insect Physiology and Ecology (icipe), P.O. Box 30772, Nairobi, 00100, Kenya

    Paulin Nana, Sunday Ekesi & Nguya Kalemba Maniania

  2. Faculty of Agriculture and Agricultural Sciences, School of Wood, Water and Natural Resources, University of Dschang, P.O. Box 786, Ebolowa, Cameroon

    Paulin Nana

  3. Department of Horticultural Sciences, Faculty of Applied Sciences, Cape Peninsula University of Technology, P.O. Box 652, Cape Town, 8000, South Africa

    Felix Nchu

  4. Jomo Kenyatta University of Agriculture and Technology (JKUAT), City Square, P.O. Box 62000, Nairobi, 00200, Kenya

    Hamadi Iddo Boga

  5. Department of Animal Biology and Physiology, University of Yaounde, P.O. Box 812, Yaoundé, Cameroon

    Pierre Kamtchouing

Authors
  1. Paulin Nana
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  2. Felix Nchu
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  3. Sunday Ekesi
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  4. Hamadi Iddo Boga
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  5. Pierre Kamtchouing
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  6. Nguya Kalemba Maniania
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Nguya Kalemba Maniania.

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Communicated by S.T. Jaronski.

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Nana, P., Nchu, F., Ekesi, S. et al. Efficacy of spot-spray application of Metarhizium anisopliae formulated in emulsifiable extract of Calpurnia aurea in attracting and infecting adult Rhipicephalus appendiculatus ticks in semi-field experiments. J Pest Sci 88, 613–619 (2015). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10340-014-0637-8

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10340-014-0637-8

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