Biological Activity of Native Bacterial Isolates Against Aphids in Beans and Peas Field Production

Aphids (Hemiptera: Aphididae) are a major group of pests in legume crops. They cause direct damage to the host plants by sucking of plant sap. In addition to direct damage from their feeding, aphids also act as vectors for carrier of several viruses. The main method to control these pests is still the use of chemical insecticides. This practice hides risks due to harmful environmental effects, residual quantities in production, the emergence of resistance populations, destruction of beneficial species and many more. In recent years, there has been a growing interest in the discovery and development of new bioinsecticides as environmental friendly pest control tools to be integrated in combination or rotation with chemical pesticides in pest management programmes. Since the bacteria are relatively poorly studied as biocontrol agents for aphids control, the aim of this study was to evaluate the aphicidal effect of native bacterial isolates. Strains of Bacillus amyloliquefaciens, Paenibacillus polymyxa and Providencia rettgeri were used in experiments, conducted in the period 2019-2020. Bacillus amyloliquefaciens A1, Paenibacillus polymyxa AB3 and Providencia rettgeri K10 were tested against black bean aphid (Aphis fabae Scop.) and pea aphid (Acyrthosiphon pisum Harris) in the field growing of peas and beans. Among the studied microorganisms, B. amyloliquefaciens A1 and P. rettgeri K10 showed good aphicidal activity (E≥75%) against black bean aphid (A. fabae) and pea aphid (A. pisum) in the growing of beans and peas in the field.