Učinkovitost in ekonomsko ovrednotenje komercialnih sevov glive Beauvaria bassiana (Bals.-Criv.) Vuill. pri uravnavanju žuželčjih škodljivce na kumarah (Cucumis sativus L.) v ekosistemu prehodne savane

A study was conducted in 2021 and 2022 planting seasons to determine the most efficient and profitable rate and frequency of applying Beauvaria bassiana to control insect pests on cucumber crop. Beauvaria application produced significantly lower insect pest numbers compared to untreated plots. Although leaf and fruit damage were statistically similar in the treated plots, the values were lower than the untreated plots. Significantly higher fruit yield (14.43 tons ha-1 and 13.44 tons ha-1) was obtained when Beauvaria was applied at 8 kg ha-1 once a week relative to the control 2.26 tons ha-1 and 2.34 tons ha-1, 2021 and 2022, respectively, resulting in a corresponding increase of 84 % and 83 % over the control. The relationship between insect pest infestation and yield was negative and significant (r = -0.90 and r = -0.80). In addition, the highest profitability index of 1.00 was obtained when Beauveria was applied at 8 kg ha-1 once a week in both years.