title: Occurrence of entomopathogenic fungi in tejocote (Crataegus mexicana) orchard soils and their pathogenicity against Rhagoletis pomonella.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To determine the abundance and diversity of entomopathogenic fungi in tejocote orchard soils and evaluate their ability to infect Rhagoletis pomonella Walsh., the main pest of tejocote.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Surveys were made in two locations in Mexico state and two in Puebla state. Soil from selected locations was baited for entomopathogenic fungi with Galleria mellonella (L.). All isolates were identified morphologically to genus level and to species level using Bloc and elongation factor 1-α gene sequence information, respectively; Beauveria bassiana ((Bals.-Criv.) Vuill.), B. pseudobassiana (S.A. Rehner & Humber) and Metarhizium robertsii (J.F. Bisch., Rehner & Humber) were found, with B. bassiana being the most abundant and widely distributed. Pathogenicity of five selected B. bassiana isolates and three M. robertsii isolates was evaluated against larvae and pupae of R. pomonella. All isolates infected larvae resulting in an average mortality of 35%. Pupae were not susceptible; however, adults emerging from inoculated pupae did die due to infection.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  At least three species of entomopathogenic fungi are present in the soil from tejocote orchards, with B. bassiana being the most abundant and widely distributed. Rhagoletis pomonella larvae were more susceptible to infection than pupae.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Our study has produced new information about the distribution of entomopathogenic fungi in cultivated soils from this region of North America, contributing to a better understanding of their natural occurrence and underpinning the development of biological control approaches.
authors.affiliation: Entomología y Acarología, Postgrado en Fitosanidad, Colegio de Postgraduados, Texcoco, Estado de Mexico, Mexico.
authors.forename: E
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Muñiz-Reyes
authors.forename: A W
authors.initials: AW
authors.lastname: Guzmán-Franco
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Sánchez-Escudero
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Nieto-Angel
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D052982:Beauveria / Q000145:classification / Q000302:isolation & purification / Q000472:pathogenicity*; D027825:Crataegus / Q000382:microbiology*; D007814:Larva / Q000382:microbiology; D052981:Metarhizium / Q000145:classification / Q000302:isolation & purification / Q000472:pathogenicity*; D008800:Mexico; D010572:Pest Control, Biological; D011679:Pupa / Q000382:microbiology / Q000648:ultrastructure; D012988:Soil Microbiology; D033621:Tephritidae / Q000254:growth & development / Q000382:microbiology* / Q000648:ultrastructure
keywords: Beauveria bassiana; Beauveria pseudobassiana; Crataegus mexicana; Metarhizium robertsii; Rhagoletis pomonella; diversity; virulence