Eksplorasi Cendawan Entomophthorales pada Beberapa Spesies Kutuputih dan Kutukapuk pada Berbagai Tanaman Hias di Bogor dan Cianjur

Abstract

The ornamental plants are the ones of the high economic valued horticultural crops that have beauty and a certain appeal. However, there are several problems of the cultivation efforts to meet consumen desire to face a variety of problems, especially plant pests (OPT), such as insect pests, fungi, bacteria, viruses, and nematodes. The mealybugs (Hemiptera: Pseudococcidae) and ground pearls (Hemiptera: Margarodidae) have been considered as the important pests causing seriously problems in ornamental plants. The objective of this research was to explore the Entomophthoralean fungi associated with several species of mealybugs and ground pearls. The insects were sampled from September 2012 until February 2013, at the Village Babakan raya (District Darmaga) and Cibeber District, Cianjur. There were five sampled ornamental plants. Fifty insects were sampled from each plant. The samples were preserved in 30 ml screw cup vials filled with 70% alcohol. These were later processed in the laboratory to confirm presence of entomophthorealan fungus. Microscope slide squash mounts in lactophenol cotton blue were made for the insects on each plant. Each insect was examined with a microscope to determine if secondary conidia, hyphal bodies, conidiophores, primary conidia, and resting spores were present. Developmental stages of the fungus founded were hyphal bodies, primary conidia, secondary conidia, and saprophytic fungi. The fungus infection in mealybug and ground pearls was very different. There was no fungus infection on the ground pearls scoop in ornamental plant, jasmine and anthurium. The entomophthoralean fungus occurred on mealybug in the garden croton, Aspar and Agave with high levels of fungus infection.