Isolation, Identification, and Morphometric Characterization of Native Isolates of Beauveria spp. from Banana Crops

Abstract

A survey of entomopathogenic fungi was carried out from specimens of Cosmopolites sordidus infected with mycosis in commercial plantations and from banana crop soil samples. From a total of 72 samples, 15 native isolates of Beauveria spp. were obtained, of which three came from adult Cosmopolites sordidus and twelve from soil samples, where their main macroscopic physiological and microscopic morphometric characteristics were recorded. Colonies on PDA, SDA and EMA culture media are initially white to felted and eventually become creamy powdery with concentric rings. Reverse light yellow, Conidia hyaline, globose to subglobose1.0-2.5 (1.9 µm) x 1.0-2.0 (1.7 µm) Conidiogenous cells, with globose bases. 2.0-3.0 (2.3 µm) x 2.0-2.5(2.1 µm) and conidiophores 25 to 50 µm long with tubular septate mycelium. Radial growth rate was measured in three different media, the results obtained show that all the isolates present a similar radial growth in the Sabouraud Dextrose Agar and malt extract culture media, the highest radial growth was obtained by isolate BBT324 with a radial growth of 12.75 mm in 10 days and the lowest radial growth with 6.05 mm was obtained in the Papa Detroxa Agar medium with isolate BBT23, the concentration of the Beauveria spp. conidia, isolate BBT34 was the highest in the Papa Detroxa Agar medium with isolate BBT23, BBT34 isolate was the one that presented the highest percentage of concentration 5.7 million spores per milliliter of water, followed by BBT41 with 3.95