Infeksi Jamur Entomopatogen Metarhizium anisopliae dan Beauveria bassiana terhadap Hama Wereng Batang Coklat (Nilavarpata lugens) pada Tanaman Padi (Oriza sativa)

Abstract

The brown planthopper (Nilaparvata lugens) is a major pest of rice plants, exhibiting monophagous feeding behavior and causing damage directly by sucking plant sap and indirectly through the transmission of viruses such as rice grassy stunt virus and rice ragged stunt virus types 1 and 2. This study aimed to evaluate the effectiveness of two entomopathogenic fungi, Beauveria bassiana and Metarhizium anisopliae, isolated from Sei Kepayang Village, Tanjung Balai City, in controlling N. lugens. The study was conducted using a factorial Completely Randomized Design (CRD) with six treatments and three replications, along with one control. Observed parameters included daily mortality percentage, fungal infection symptoms, and LT₅₀ values calculated using probit analysis. Data were analyzed using analysis of variance (ANOVA) followed by further tests to determine differences among treatments. Results showed that the application of B. bassiana and M. anisopliae significantly increased N. lugens mortality compared to the control, with peak mortality occurring 4–5 days after application. Infection symptoms of B. bassiana were characterized by bodies covered with white conidia, whereas M. anisopliae infections caused blackened bodies with green conidia. LT₅₀ values for the fungal treatments ranged from 3.9 to 4.7 days, while the control exceeded 11 days. B. bassiana consistently killed insects more rapidly, with an LT₅₀ of approximately 3.993 days compared to 4.708 days for M. anisopliae, making it more promising as a sustainable biological control agent for N. lugens. These findings support the development of environmentally friendly biological control strategies.