Manuscript Abstract

EFFICACY OF Cordyceps fumosorosea AND Silico-Sec® AGAINST STORED PRODUCT PESTS: IMPACT ON MORTALITY, FECUNDITY, MYCOSIS, AND SPORULATION
Muhamad Yasin, Waqas Wakil, Mirza Abdul Qayyum, Misbah Ashraf, Abdulrahman S. Aldawood, Mubasher Hussain, Hafiz Muhammad Bilal Yousuf, Areej Mahfooz

M. Yasin1*, W. Wakil2, 3, M. A. Qayyum4, M. Ashraf5, A. S. Aldawood6, M. Hussain7, H. M. B. Yousuf1, 8 and A. Mahfooz1

1Department of Entomology, Faculty of Agriculture and Environment, The Islamia University of Bahawalpur, Bahawalpur 63100, Pakistan

2Department of Entomology, University of Agriculture, Faisalabad 38040, Pakistan

3Senckenberg German Entomological Institute,15374 Müncheberg, Germany

4 Institute of Plant Protection, Muhammad Nawaz Shareef (MNS) University of Agriculture, Multan 60000, Pakistan

5Entomological Research Institute, Ayub Agricultural Research Institute, Faisalabad 38850, Pakistan

6Department of Plant Protection, College of Food and Agricultural Sciences, King Saud University, Riyadh, P.O.Box 2460, Riyadh, 11451 Saudi Arabia

7Guangdong Pest Control Engineering and Technology Centre, Guangdong Province 510000, China

8Department of Agricultural and Biosystems Engineering, Iowa State University, Ames, IA 50011, USA.

Corresponding Author: yasin_1876@yahoo.com
Page Number(s): 729-740
Published Online First: February 14, 2026
Publication Date: May 05, 2026
ABSTRACT

Stored grain insect pests threaten global food security by reducing the quality and quantity of grain, highlighting the urgent need for sustainable and eco-friendly alternatives to chemical insecticides. In current laboratory tests, entomopathogenic fungi,Cordyceps fumosorosea, and a diatomaceous earth (DE) formulation, Silico-Sec®, were tested against the adult stages of Liposcelis paeta, Cryptolestes ferrugineus, Rhyzopertha dominica, and Tribolium castaneum using a completely randomized design (CRD) with three replications.Diatomaceous earth was applied at a concentration of 200 ppm, while C. fumosorosea was introduced at 1×10⁶ and 1×10⁸ conidia kg-1 of wheat, either individually or in integrated manners. After 21 days of exposure, the highest mortality in all insect species was observed in T1 (L. paeta: 69.53%, C. ferrugineus: 56.76%, R. dominica: 51.58%, and T. castaneum: 43.90%), followed by T3 and T2 in individual treatments. In combined treatments, T5 resulted in the highest mortality (L. paeta: 100.0%, C. ferrugineus: 95.12%, R. dominica: 92.47%, and T. castaneum: 83.65%). The lowest LT50 and LT90 values were recorded for L. paeta, indicating their higher susceptibility, while the T. castaneum exhibited the highest resistance towards all the treatments. Maximum progeny emergence was recorded in T2 (L. paeta: 44.33%; C. ferrugineus: 49.44%; R. dominica: 54.88%; and T. castaneum: 61.44%) compared to the control treatment. On the other hand, the highest mycosis (T2: 87.21%; T3: 77.32%; T4: 55.20%; and T5: 41.10%) and sporogenesis (T2: 185.22; T3: 167.67; T4: 152.22; and T5: 140.67 spores) were recorded in L. paeta. The results indicated that C. fumosorosea and Silico-Sec® can be used as effective grain protectants and provide significant control when used alone or in combination against major storage insect pests. Their exceptional mode of action qualifies them as an efficient and viable solution, reflecting their importance as critical aspects in IPM interventions in the preservation of stored grains.

 

Keywords: Cordyceps fumosorosea, Silico-Sec®, Progeny emergence, Mycosis, Sporogenesis
Open Access: This article is an open access article distributed under the terms and conditions of the Creative Commons Attribution (CC BY) license ( https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/).


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