The Susceptibility of Two Strains on Rice Pests and .

Entomopathogenic fungi represent a valuable natural resource with significant potential as biological agents for pest management. However, different species or strains of fungi demonstrate varying effectiveness against specific targets. In this study, we assessed the impact of two fungal strains, KN801 and KN802, on the rice planthoppers and , in combination with insecticides. Our findings indicate that both strains can effectively infect the nymphs and adults of and , resulting in a significantly higher mortality rate compared to the control groups. Notably, the strain KN801 demonstrated greater virulence than KN802 against these pests. However, no significant differences were observed when using different concentrations of the same fungal strain ( KN801 or KN802) against these targets. Additionally, both fungi showed a germination rate of over 90% after treatment when combined with several common insecticides like chlorfenapyr and dinotefuran. The combined application of with chlorfenapyr or dinotefuran could improve pest control efficacy for these two pests. This study suggests that the two strains have the potential to infect rice planthoppers and , indicating their promise as agents for the control of these pests.