Beauveria bassiana (Hypocreales: Clavicipitaceae) Volatile Organic Compounds (VOCs) Repel Rhynchophorus ferrugineus (Coleoptera: Dryophthoridae)

The entomopathogenic fungus Beauveria bassiana (Bb) is used to control the red palm weevil (RPW) Rhyncophorus ferrugineus (Oliver). Beuveria bassiana can infect and kill all developmental stages of RPW. We found that a solid formulate of B. bassiana isolate 203 (Bb203; CBS 121097), obtained from naturally infected RPW adults, repels RPW females. Fungi, and entomopathogens in particular, can produce volatile organic compounds (VOCs). VOCs from Bb203 were analyzed using gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS). GC-MS identified more than 15 VOCs in B. bassiana not present in uninoculated (control) formulate. Both ethenyl benzene and benzothiazole B. bassiana VOCs can repel RPW females. Our findings suggest that B. bassiana and its VOCs can be used for sustainable management of RPW. They could act complementarily to avoid RPW infestation in palms.