ISOLATION, CHARACTERIZATION AND EVALUATION OF NATIVE ENTOMOPATHOGENIC FUNGI FOR MANAGING SPODOPTERA LITURA (FABRICIUS) IN CABBAGE.

The survey was undertaken in seven districts of Karnataka for the collection of soil and insect samples to isolate the entomopathogenic fungi. A total of 16 cadavers were collected from the fields during the survey across different districts of Karnataka. Among them, 15 cadavers were covered with mycelia of pale green colour, whereas, one cadaver was covered with white mycelia. Among all the isolates collected, one isolate was collected from soil sample. Three isolates which caused maximum mortality of Spodoptera litura Fab. during the bioassay studies were selected and coded as UHSB EPI-1 for BGK isolate, UHSB EPI-2 for CKB isolate and UHSB EPI-3 for BNG isolate. Further, the isolate UHSB EPI-1 was confirmed as Beauveria bassiana (Balsamo) Vuillemin and the isolate UHSB EPI-2 was morphologically identified as Cladosporium cladosporioides (Fresenius) de Vries and confirmed as C. tenuissimum. Similarly, the isolate UHSB EPI-3, which was morphologically identified as Cladosporium sp. aff. C. sperospurmum was confirmed as C. cladosporioides in the molecular analysis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]