AUTHOR=Baazeem Alaa , Alotaibi Saqer S. , Khalaf Luaay Kahtan , Kumar Uttam , Zaynab Madiha , Alharthi Sarah , Darwish Hadeer , Alghamdi Akram , Jat Suresh Kumar , Al-Barty Amal , Albogami Bander , Noureldeen Ahmed , Ravindran Balasubramani 

TITLE=Identification and environment-friendly biocontrol potential of five different bacteria against Aphis punicae and Aphis illinoisensis (Hemiptera: Aphididae)

JOURNAL=Frontiers in Microbiology

VOLUME=13

YEAR=2022

URL=https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/microbiology/articles/10.3389/fmicb.2022.961349

DOI=10.3389/fmicb.2022.961349

ISSN=1664-302X

ABSTRACT=<p>The current work is aimed at isolating and identifying new Entomopathogenic bacterium (EPB) strains associated with <italic>Steinernema feltiae</italic> and assessing the EPB’s biocontrol potential on <italic>Aphis punicae</italic> and <italic>Aphis illinoisensis</italic> adults in the laboratory. From <italic>S. feltiae</italic>, five bacterial isolates were isolated and molecularly characterized. <italic>Lysinibacillus xylanilyticus</italic> strain TU-2, <italic>Lysinibacillus xylanilyticus</italic> strain BN-13, <italic>Serratia liquefaciens</italic> strain TU-6, <italic>Stenotrophomonas tumulicola</italic> strain T5916-2-1b, and <italic>Pseudochrobactrum saccharolyticum</italic> strain CCUG are the strains. Pathogenicity tests demonstrated that bacterial cells were more toxic against the two aphid species than bacterial cell-free supernatants. <italic>S. tumulicola</italic> strain T5916-2-1b cells and filtrate were reported to have the strongest potential to kill <italic>A. punicae</italic> and <italic>A. illinoisensis</italic> individuals within 6 h after treatment, with 100% mortality of both insects 24 and 48 h after treatment. Based on the results of the study, it looked like endogenous <italic>Steinernema</italic>-associated EPB could be used directly as a biocontrol agent for <italic>A. punicae</italic> and <italic>A. illinoisensis</italic>.</p>