Efficacy evaluation of Metarhizium anisopliae inoculative release for biological control of date palm horned beetle Oryctes elegans (Coleoptera: Scarabaeidae) in garden

This research was conducted to evaluate of inoculated release methods on appropriate isolate of Metarhizium anisopliae for microbial control of the date palm horned beetle (DPHB) Oryctes elegans. Nesting experimental method was used in this study. The nests were includes: minimum, average and maximum inoculate release which used 1, 2 and 4 traps per hectare accordingly, and this daily releasing was continued for three weeks. The results showed; there are significant different at 1 percent level between the efficiency of M. anisopliae in different inoculate releasing methods according theses parameters: Petiole and Bunch injured, number of healthy and infected larvae and adult. The maximum releasing method had highest microbial control on decreasing of DPHB population (larva and adult), also Petiole and Bunch damage. This efficiency was assessed about 90 percent in two years study. Establishment and distribution of M. anisopliae in maximum inoculate release method was higher than other treatments. In this treatment, fungal growth increased from releasing date to 45 days. The results showed that maximum inoculate releasing method, not only had the highest efficiency in control, but also it was suitable considering economical, environmental and sustainability aspects.