SHORT COMMUNICATION Natural occurrence of Gibberella fujikuroi and its potential for control of the woolly aphid Ceratovacuna lanigera (Homoptera: Aphididae) in Indian sugarcane plantations Sayaji Mehetre*, Poulomi Mukherjee and Sharad Kale Nuclear Agriculture and Biotechnology Division, Bhabha Atomic Research Centre, Trombay, Mumbai, India (Received 12 June 2007; final version received 6 November 2007) Studies were conducted to determine the natural occurrence of entomopathogenic fungi and their potential for utilisation in biological control of the woolly aphid (Ceratovacuna lanigera Zehntner) in Indian sugarcane plantations. A fungus Gibberella fujikuroi (Sawada) Wr. (Synonym: Fusarium verticillioides (Sacc.) Nirenberg, Synonym: Fusarium moniliforme (Sheld.) emend. Snyd. and Hans.) was found to be a promising biocontrol agent. It was further characterised and its field performance was studied. Reductions of aphid populations up to 60% were observed when the fungus was applied as two sprays at a week interval in the field. Keywords: biological control; mycoinsecticides; entomopathogenic fungus; sugarcane woolly aphid; plant pathogenicity; internal transcribed spacer; ITS Sugarcane (Saccharum officinarum L.) has been rapidly invaded by a new pest in the western and southern states of India especially Maharashtra, Tamil Nadu, Karnataka and Andhra Pradesh (Joshi and Viraktamath 2004). Commonly known as the sugarcane woolly aphid (Ceratovacuna lanigera Zehntner, Homoptera: Aphididae), it is known to stunt the growth of cane and reduce sugar content. Nymphs and adults congregate on the ventral surfaces of leaves along the midrib, resulting in drying up of the leaves. In addition, honeydew excreted by the aphid covers the upper surface of lower leaves, on which sooty mould develops. The sugarcane woolly aphid was first noticed in sugarcane fields of northeast India especially in West Bengal during 1958, but it quickly disappeared in 1960 (Basu and Banerjee 1958). It was again noticed in August 2002 in Athani, Belgaum (Karanataka, India) and simultaneously in Maharashtra, when it caused huge losses in Sangli and Satara districts. This time it appeared in very large numbers  sometimes up to 8000 individuals on a single leaf, covering almost all the leaves. It spread rapidly and within 2 years, it covered the entire sugarcane growing areas in Maharashtra, Karnataka, most of Andhra Pradesh and Tamil Nadu. Its appearance has also been reported in Bihar, Uttar Pradesh and Uttaranchal. In Maharashtra, 15% of the area under sugarcane cultivation was infested, with the highest *Corresponding author. Email: smehetre@barc.gov.in ISSN 0958-3157 print/ISSN 1360-0478 online # 2008 Taylor & Francis DOI: 10.1080/09583150701790619 http://www.informaworld.com Biocontrol Science and Technology , Vol. 18, No. 2, 2008, 215220