Efficacy of some Entomopathogenic Fungi Against Tomato Leaf Miner Tuta absoluta (Meyrick) (Lepidoptera: Gelechiidae) in Iraq

The most important tool for biological management of several insect pests is entomopathogenic fungi. The purpose of this study was to compare the effectiveness of Beauveria bassiana and Chaetomium globosum as biological agents against Tuta absoluta. According to the findings, B. bassiana and C. globosium may be able to influence T. absoluta larvae's eggs and third instar. By extending the duration and concentration, the fungus became more active. B. bassiana has had the greatest death rates after 7 days in the eggs and the third instar of the insect by 83.86% and 68.3% at 2 ×10⁷ conidia mL^-1, respectively.. This score was significantly differs to the C. globosium reached 60.09%and 31.7% in the destruction both eggs and the 3rd larvae-instar respectively. The outcomes also confirmed that the fungal colonies of both fungi isolated from leaves after 10 days of the application. The highest colony percentage belongs to the C. globosium 32.29% with a significant difference to the B. bassiana by 23.26%. The presence of both fungal colonies had a significant effect on the eggs, larvae, and pupae period development. Consequently, the weight of the pupal was influenced compared to the control. The B. bassiana has supremacy in comparison to the C. globosium and the control treatment. A gradual decrease has been shown in the proportion of the two fungal colonies tomato leaves after 30^th days. The lowest level score was 4.17% and 9.37% for both B. bassiana and C. globosium respectively.