Evaluation of Bacillus thuringiensis for the Control of Euproctis chrysorrhoea (L.) (Lepidoptera: Erebidae)

Backround: The strains of Bacillus thuringiensis bacteria (Bt-type) are utilized for controlling the brown-tail moth pest, Euproctis chrysorrhoea (Linnaeus, 1758), in apple orchards in Armenia from 2020 to 2022. Methods: The study focused on the brown-tail moth larvae in all developmental stages (I-VII) on the Renet Simirenko apple variety. Culture fluids, based on crystal-forming insecticidal strains BtEM-54 and BtEM-82 were employed. Result: Research has demonstrated that local BtEM-54 and BtEM-82 culture fluids exhibit significant biological efficiency against brown-tail moth larvae across various stages (I-II, III-IV, and V-VII) in both laboratory settings and apple orchards. Furthermore, no statistical differences were observed when comparing the biological efficiency factors of these scientific experiments with the standard lepidocide.