Bioefficacy of Entomopathogenic Fungi Against Pod Borer in Chickpea

Abstract

Entomopathogenic fungi, chiefly Beauveria bassiana and Metarhizium anisopliae, are often proposed as biological alternatives for managing the pod borer Helicoverpa armigera in chickpea, and laboratory bioassays regularly report high mortality of larvae. This narrative review asks how far those results carry into the crop. It draws on published work on the biology of the pest and the fungi, on formulation, persistence and strain variation, and on compatibility with other pest management practices, and it reports no new data. The central difficulty is a gap between the petri dish and the canopy: conidia applied to chickpea foliage face sunlight, heat, dry spells and an unfriendly leaf surface, while larvae spend part of their life inside pods, out of reach of a spray. Isolates differ widely in their tolerance of heat and ultraviolet radiation, so a strain that excels in the laboratory may perform poorly outdoors, and fungicides and some insecticides can reduce the viability of conidia. The review concludes that these fungi are credible components of integrated management, most promising against exposed young larvae and soil-dwelling stages, but that their field efficacy on chickpea is not established by the evidence available, and it sets out the trial design and reporting that would settle the question.