The two-spotted spider mite Tetranychus urticae is a worldwide crop pest with a high insecticide resistance and an extensive host range. The aim of the present study was to evaluate the effect of PaeciPora®, which was formulated from the aerial conidia of an entomopathogenic fungus Paecilomyces lilacinus strain HY-4, to control T. urticae in cucumber field. In the field study, conidia of P. lilacinus HY-4 and a chemical acaricide azocyclotin were investigated for their control of the adult females of T. urticae. The strain produced a mortality of 56.0% on day 3 and 63.6% on day 7 post-treatment respectively at 1×107 conidia/mL, and no evidence of a mortality benefit was seen in the control group. Additionally, in the pesticide injury test, no agrochemical damage was found in hot pepper, watermelon, Chinese cabbage, oriental melon or strawberry by spraying PaeciPora® on them. The results indicated the possibility of the use of P. lilacinus HY-4 as a microbiological control agent against T. urticae in the Integrated Pest Management program.

• Han-Young Cho(Industrial Biomaterials Research Center, Korea Research Institute of Bioscience and Biotechnology (KRIBB))
• Zhen Ji(Industrial Biomaterials Research Center, Korea Research Institute of Bioscience and Biotechnology (KRIBB))
• Do Young Kim(Industrial Biomaterials Research Center, Korea Research Institute of Bioscience and Biotechnology (KRIBB))
• Yi-Joon Kim(Insect Biotech Co., Ltd.)
• Dong-Ha Shin(Insect Biotech Co., Ltd.)
• Kwang-Hee Son(Industrial Biomaterials Research Center, Korea Research Institute of Bioscience and Biotechnology (KRIBB))
• Ho-Yong Park(Industrial Biomaterials Research Center, Korea Research Institute of Bioscience and Biotechnology (KRIBB))