BETWEEN-SEASON SURVIVAL OF THE GRASSHOPPER PATHOGEN METARHIZIUM FLAVOVIRIDE IN THE SAHEL

A study is presented showing that the entomopathogenic fungus, Metarhi zium flavoviride, can persist in fragments of infected grasshopper cad aver and survive the Sahelian dry season. A significant positive relat ionship was identified between the probability of mortality at the beg inning of one season and the density of infected cadavers present in t he habitat at the end of the previous season. Furthermore, survival an alysis revealed a steady decline in the mean survival time of grasshop pers exposed to the infected habitats as the density of infected cadav ers used to seed the habitat increased The consequences of these findi ngs are discussed in the context of the use of M. flavoviride for locu st and grasshopper control.