Summary: | The banana weevil (BW), <i>Cosmopolites sordidus</i>, is the main coleopteran pest of banana, causing up to 100% yield loss. In this study, we screened 20 isolates of entomopathogenic fungi (EPF) for the management of BW. In the lab, eight <i>Beauveria bassiana</i> isolates caused >50% mortality of the adult BW, whereas <i>Metarhizium anisopliae</i> and <i>Isaria fumosorosea</i> isolates were less pathogenic. <i>B. bassiana</i> isolates ICIPE 648, ICIPE 660 and ICIPE 273 were the most pathogenic, killing ≥80% of adult BW. <i>B. bassiana</i> isolate ICIPE 622 yielded the highest spores per BW cadaver (1.84 × 10<sup>8</sup> spores), followed by ICIPE 660, ICIPE 273 and ICIPE 648—1.17 × 10<sup>8</sup>, 3.8 × 10<sup>7</sup> and 3.6 × 10<sup>7</sup> spores, respectively. ICIPE 273 had the shortest LT<sub>50</sub> (5.3 days) followed by ICIPE 648 (9.8 days) and 660 (11.1 days). Similarly, the LC<sub>50</sub> values for the three isolates were 5.18 × 10<sup>7</sup>, 5.49 × 10<sup>7</sup> and 5.2 × 10<sup>7</sup> spores mL<sup>−1</sup>, respectively. In the field, ICIPE 273 and ICIPE 648 had the highest (31.3%) and lowest (20.8%) pathogenicity, respectively. This study indicates that the <i>B. bassiana</i> isolates ICIPE 273, ICIPE 648 and ICIPE 660 are potential candidates for the environmentally sustainable management of BW.
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