Insecticidal capacity of hydrocarbon-grown Beauveria bassiana to control coleoptera in stored grain

Abstract

The aim of this study was to optimize the interaction between entomopathogenic fungi and the cuticle of coleopteran pests of stored grains. Two strains of Beauveria bassiana (Balsamo) Vuillemin (Bb GHA y Bb ARSEF 5500) were grown in culture medium containing two different carbon sources, either insect-like hydrocarbons or glucose. Both, mortality percentage of Acanthoscelides obtectus (bean weevil) and Rhyzopertha dominica (lesser grain borer) and micelial growth on the host cuticle increased significantly after spraying the insects with hydrocarbon-grown fungal suspensions compared to glucose-grown. These results showed that increasing entomopathogenic fungal virulence is feasible by changing the nutrient composition of the culture médium.