• International Journal of Industrial Entomology and Biomaterials
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• v.41 no.2
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• pp.28-35
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• 2020

Entomopathogenic Beauveria bassiana and Metarhizium anisopliae are well-known biological control agents worldwide, and have high potential in industrialization. However, their thermo-susceptibility limits long-term storage under high temperature conditions and insecticidal activity after application in target pests. The virulences of M. anisopliae JEF-003 and JEF-004, and B. bassiana JEF-006 and JEF-007 against bean bug (Riptortus pedestris), and the thermotolerance of conidia produced on three kinds of grains, sorghum, millet and Italian millet as substrates for solid cultures were investigated. Of the three grains, Italian millet was the suitable grains in the production of thermotolerant conidia, and a significant relationship between conidial thermotolerance and the media was demonstrated. This work suggests that biological characteristics of entomopathogenic fungi are altered by culture media, and these results will be a chance to understand the factors in the media which make such changes.

• Korean journal of applied entomology
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• v.42 no.1
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• pp.65-70
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• 2003

For the purpose of the protection of beneficial insects from pathogens and the development of control agent against pests, a strain of Metarhizium sp. was isolated from the infected Protaetia brevitarsis seulensis larvae in Korea. Under the scanning electron microscope, the isolate, Metarhizium sp. KMA-1, showed distinct formation of conidia on the palisade-like masse which were comprised of elongate chains and this shape is a typical feature of Metarhizium species. PCR techniques were used to identify the isolate and the primers used were designed on the basis of two kinds of rRNAs sequences, 28S rRNA and internal transcribed spacer(ITS). The specific PCR products from each primer set were amplified and the DNA sequences were determined for the similarity comparison. Sequence alignment of these fragments using GenBank database resulted in the highest homology similarity between the isolate Metarhizium sp. KMA-1 and M. anisopliae. From these results, the isolate Metarhizium sp. KMA-1 in this study was identified as M. anisopliae.

• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
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• v.8 no.3
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• pp.284-286
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• 1998

A ura5 gene encoding Orotate Phosphoribosyl Transferase (OPRTase) of Metarhizium anisopliae was cloned by PCR methods and sequenced. The sequenced ura 5 gene encodes a polypeptide of 234 amino acid residues. This deduced amino acid sequence showed high similarity to other fungi OPRTase and there was no intron sequence between ATG starting codon and TGA ending codon.

• International Journal of Industrial Entomology and Biomaterials
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• v.37 no.1
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• pp.9-14
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• 2018

Bacterial species, Bacillus amyloliquefaciens and Lactobacillus species (L. sp.5-1), are known to inhibit the growth of pathogenic bacteria and fungi. Metarhizium anisopliae is a pathogenic fungal species which causes fatal damage to P. brevitarsis populations. Therefore, we investigated the inhibitory effect of B. amyloliquefaciens and L. sp. 5-1 on M. anisopliae induced fatality rates in P. brevitarsis. Samples of M. anisopliae-infected sawdust were treated with strain B. amyloliquefaciens KACC10116, strain L. sp. 5-1 KACC19351, and a combination of the two. P. brevitarsis were fed treated sawdust samples, and their subsequent fatality rate was monitored. The fatality rate fell below 1.5% after 10 days and decreased by approximately 40% after 15 days. On average, the fatality rate decreased by 20%, compared to the control. The difference in the decrease in fatality rate between B. amyloliquefaciens treatment and L. sp. 5-1 treatment was not significant. Results indicate that both strains exhibit high anti-fungal activity, which may be useful in environmental purification efforts. These strains may be used for effective prevention of fungal infection in P. brevitarsis.

• Korean Journal of Microbiology
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• v.36 no.2
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• pp.97-102
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• 2000

In order to use Metarhizizmn~ anisopliae as a biological pesticide, effect of envrionmental factors on nlycelial growth, spore formation, and extracellular enzyme activity in culture broth of M. anisopliae DGUM 35001 was determined. Optimal temperature was 26^{\circ}C.$ and optimal pH ranged from 5 to 9. Among the complex media tested, MCM and SDPY media were the most favorable for mycelial growth. When Czapek-Dox agar was used as a mnimal medium, glucose and sucrose among the saccharides were very excellent source of carbohydrate. Among the biopolyners tested. chitin was the most favorable source for mycelial growth and produced high aerial inycelia. Urea and ammonium phosphate as an inorganic nitrogen source and bacto-peptone and soytone as an organic nitrogen source enhanced the mycelial growth When serine as a source of amino acid was supplemented, excellent mycelial growth was shown. Large amount of spores could be obtained from the aerial mycelia of starch medium. When the culture broth was filtrated and then the concentrate with ammonium sulfate was used as a crnde enzyme solution, high enzyme activities of amylase and protease were shown. However, lipase and chitinase activities were comparatively low.

• The Korean Journal of Pesticide Science
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• v.17 no.4
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• pp.454-459
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• 2013

Beet armyworm, Spodoptera exigua is difficult to control using chemical insecticides because of the fast development of insecticide resistance. For eco-friendly beet armyworm managements, various control agents are required. Entomopathogenic fungus is one of the promise control agents as an alternative to chemical control agent. We isolated entomopathogenic fungi from soil samples of Yangpyeong, Gyeonggi-do by insect-bait method using Tenebio molitor and conducted bioassay to larva of beet armyworm. The result of bioassay, a selected strain FT83 showed 100% mortality against third instar larva of S. exigua. On the basis of morphological characteristics and analysis of 18srRNA sequence for ITS, the strain FT83 was identified as a Metarhizium anisopliae. The mortality of beet armyworm showed $81.6{\pm}9.3%$ at $1{\times}10^6$ conidia/ml, 100% at $1{\times}10^7$ conidia/ml and 100% at $1{\times}10^8$ conidia/ml respectively. Therefore, we recommend to proper control efficacy against S. exigua in which more than $1{\times}10^7$ conidia/ml suspension of M. anisopliae FT83.

• International Journal of Industrial Entomology and Biomaterials
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• v.36 no.1
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• pp.1-9
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• 2018

The purpose of this study was to determine the best method for minimizing the occurrence of Metarhizium anisopliae infection of Protaetia brevitarsis seluensis during mass breeding on agricultural farms. There is a high demand for the use of P. b. seluensis larvae in animal feed and as food for humans. However, mass breeding results in the entomopathogenic fungal (usually M. anisopliae) infection of P. b. seluensis. A mixture of microorganisms (Bacillus subtilis, Lactobacillus plantarum, and Saccharomyces cerevisiae) delayed fungal infection by M. anisopliae, which infected fewer P. b. seluensis when the microorganism mixture was added to sawdust as feed for P. b. seluensis. When sawdust with the effective microorganisms (EM) was given to P. b. seluensis for 30 d, their mortality rate was approximately 35 % less than that of the control group, which was fed sawdust without the EM. In addition, the growth of M. anisopliae on agar media spread with each bacterium as inhibited by up to 80 % more than those spread with 4 % sodium hypochlorite, which is a harmless fungal inhibitor generally used in agricultural farms for disinfection.

• Mycobiology
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• v.42 no.4
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• pp.385-390
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• 2014

The beet armyworm Spodoptera exigua (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae) is difficult to control using chemical insecticides because of the development of insecticide resistance. Several pest control agents are used to control the beet armyworm. Entomopathogenic fungi are one of the candidates for eco-friendly pest control instead of chemical control agents. In this study, among various entomopathogenic fungal strains isolated from soil two isolates were selected as high virulence pathogens against larva of beet armyworm. Control efficacy of fungal conidia was influenced by conidia concentration, temperature, and relative humidity (RH). The isolates Metarhizium anisopliae FT83 showed 100% cumulative mortality against second instar larvae of S. exigua 3 days after treatment at $1{\times}10^7$ conidia/mL and Paecilomyces fumosoroseus FG340 caused 100% mortality 6 days after treatment at $1{\times}10^4$ conidia/mL. Both M. anisopliae FT83 and P. fumosoroseus FG340 effectively controlled the moth at $20{\sim}30^{\circ}C$. M. anisopliae FT83 was significantly affected mortality by RH: mortality was 86.7% at 85% RH and 13.4% at 45% RH. P. fumosoroseus FG340 showed high mortality as 90% at 45% RH and 100% at 75% RH 6 days after conidia treatments. These results suggest that P. fumosoroseus FG340 and M. anisopliae FT83 have high potential to develop as a biocontrol agent against the beet armyworm.

• Korean Journal of Organic Agriculture
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• v.31 no.1
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• pp.95-106
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• 2023

Entomopathogenic fungi are one of the microorganisms distributed worldwide, and they inhabit not only insects but also soils of various regions such as agricultural land and forest areas. In this study, entomopathogenic fungi distributed in the soil of forest areas in Korea were isolated using the insect-baiting method, and the relationship between the distribution and diversity of entomopathogenic fungi and the physical/chemical characteristics of the soil was analyzed. The soils were collected from five forest areas in Korea, and a total of 42 entomopathogenic fungal isolates were isolated from the collected soils. Among them, Beauveria bassiana (42.9%) and Metarhizium anisopliae (45.2%) were mainly isolated. In particular, it was confirmed that the distribution of M. anisopliae varies depending on the total nitrogen (g/kg) and organic matter content (%) of the soil. The soils in forest areas in Korea have a low pH of 4-5. Among all isolates, >50% of entomopathogenic fungi were isolated from silt loam. This study suggests that it will be helpful in understanding the relationship between the distribution and diversity of entomopathogenic fungi and the physical and chemical characteristics of soil.

• Korean Journal of Ecology and Environment
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• v.53 no.4
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• pp.374-379
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• 2020

The white-spotted flower chafer (Protaetia brevitarsis) larva is one of the insects widely-used for edible and medicinal purposes in Eastern Asia. As a result of increasing demand for P. brevitarsis, massrearing systems in domestic farms have become necessary. However, the mass-rearing of larvae under confined rearing conditions could provide conditions unsuitable for preventing entomopathogenic diseases. Metarhizium anisopliae is the strongest fatal entomopathogenic fungus against P. brevitarsis. For inhibition of M. anisopliae, we used a Rhus verniciflua Stokes extract that has antifungal components. We investigated the inhibitory effect of the R. verniciflua extract at 1%, 5%, and 10% concentrations. The results showed that a 1% R. verniciflua extract added to sawdust produced a significantly low P. brevitarsis mortality rate. Moreover, extract-treated groups were heavier and had a shorter larval period than those of the untreated group. Consequently, we suggest that using an R. verniciflua extract can reduce the P. brevitarsis fatality rate from entomopathogenic fungi (e.g. M. anisopliae), resulting in more effective mass-rearing systems for P. brevitarsis.