BLACKSBURG, Va. – Corn earworms are one of the most economically harmful pests in North America, and they can quickly become resistant to common insecticides. However, researchers at Virginia Tech are testing a new method to curb the negative impact of the pest: utilizing a type of fungus.
“They feed on the leaves, bolls, and flowers of the plant, disrupting its reproductive process and resulting in reduced yields and lower fiber quality. Their feeding damage weakens the plant and can lead to further pest infestations and disease.”
Hadi Farrokhzadeh, visiting scholar at Virginia Tech’s Southern Piedmont Agricultural Research and Extension Center
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Over the years, farmers have been using synthetic insecticides to deal with corn earworm populations, but they can be difficult to manage once they become resistant to a particular insecticide. Cotton Incorporated helped fund a study at Virginia Tech, conducted by Hadi Farrokhzadeh, that utilizes Beauveria bassiana as a biological insecticide.
B. bassiana is an asexually reproducing form of Cordyceps bassiana, a type of fungus that infects insects. This specific fungus was chosen due to its impact on insects, as well as other studies showing that it can live within plant tissues without causing harm.
“Unlike previous studies that focused on seed treatments, my research demonstrates that foliar application is a viable method for introducing B. bassiana-GHA into cotton plants, offering a new strategy for biological control.”
Hadi Farrokhzadeh, visiting scholar at Virginia Tech’s Southern Piedmont Agricultural Research and Extension Center
This research study showed B. bassiana-GHA having a 100% colonization rate on cotton plants. It also showed that it reduced corn earworm survival, and that the bugs tended to avoid the infected plants as a whole. Farrokhzadeh said that once plants detected the presence of the fungus, they would trigger defense mechanisms that deterred insects from the cotton.
“Hadi’s project definitively demonstrates that an insect pathogen can colonize cotton plant tissue — deterring and reducing corn earworm."
Arash Rashed, professor of entomology and director of the Southern Piedmont AREC
While this initial research is promising, more evidence and testing is needed to determine whether this form of treatment is reliable. Farrokhzadeh still hopes that this research can help with the development of more eco-friendly pest control measures.
For a full, in-depth release of the study from Virginia Tech, click here.
