Molecular identification of two entomopathogenic fungus Clonostachys rosea strains and their efficacy against two aphid species in Iraq.

Background: The green peach aphid, Myzus persicae Sulzer, and the bean aphid, Aphis fabae Scopoli (both Hemiptera: Aphididae), are serious pests of greenhouse vegetable crops in Iraq and other regions of the globe. In this study, two morphological identical isolates (AA80 and AA82) of the entomopathogenic fungus Clonostachys rosea Schroers (Hypocreales: Bionectriaceae) from Iraq were isolated and characterized with phylogenetic analysis based on the internal transcribed spacer (ITS) region. The efficacy of C.