Climatic factors interference with the occurrence of Beauveria bassiana and Metarhizium anisopliae in cultivated soil

Description of method and recommendation of laboratory and field procedures for the isolation of soil borne entomopathogenic fungi (specifically Beauveria bassiana and Metarhizium anisopliae) is presented. Baiting technique method was used for screening of occurrence of indigenous populations of entomopathogenic fungi. Totally, 2068 alive greater wax moth larvae (Galleria mellonella L.) were used to trap entomopathogenic fungi present in the soil. Site selected was the experimental farm of Assiut University; only 105 larvae were infected by entomopathogenic fungi representing 5.08% mortality. B. bassiana caused 85.71% of the mortality  represented by 90 isolates. M. anisopliae caused 14.29% of the mortality giving only 15 isolates of M. anisopliae. Data showed that B. bassiana seems to be the most economically important entomopathogenic fungi inhabiting soil cultivated with wheat and cotton plants. The highest number of the isolates was recorded during spring and autumn seasons. The relationship between the incidence of B. bassiana and M. anisopliae and the selected weather factors was statistically analyzed using multiple regression analysis.Key words: Entomopathogenic fungi, Galleria mellonella, baiting technique, soil

A Preliminary record of the entomopathogenic fungus beauveria bassiana (Balsamo) viullemin as endophyte in Egypt

Abstract The present study was conducted to survey and isolate entomopathogenic fungi as endophyte from wheat and tomato plants in Assiut, Upper Egypt. Two species of agricultural economic plants (wheat and tomato) were freshly collected two times / month. These plants were wheat and tomato. Plants with no visible symptoms of disease were carefully selected after physical examination. In the present study 30 samples (6 from wheat and 24 from tomato) were surveyed for entophytic fungi. Leaves, shoots, and roots of the two plants were examined. Thirty-three fungal species which belong to 17 genera were isolated as endophytes of the two plants. Beauveria bassiana was successfully isolated from the leaves of tomato (Solanum lycopersicum L.). Moreover, the pathogenicity of this isolate was assayed as endophyte on tomato and wheat plants. Also, the isolate of B. bassiana was assessed against the greater wax moth, Galleria mellonella L