Botrytis cinerea causes substantial losses in tomato and chili pepper crops worldwide. Endophytes have shown the potential for the biological control of diseases. The colonization ability of native endophyte strains of Beauveria bassiana and their antifungal effect against B. cinerea were evaluated in Solanaceae crops. Root drenching with B. bassiana was applied, and endophytic colonization capacity in roots, stems, and leaves was determined. The antagonistic activity was evaluated using in vitro dual culture and also plants by drenching the endophyte on the root and by pathogen inoculation in the leaves. Ten native strains were endophytes of tomato, and eight were endophytes of chili pepper. All strains showed significant in vitro antagonism against B. cinerea (30–36%). A high antifungal effect was observed, and strains RGM547 and RGM644 showed the lowest percentage of the surface affected by the pathogen. Native strains of B. bassiana colonized tomato and chili pepper tissues and provided important levels of antagonism against B. cinerea.

The tomato, Solanum lycopersicum L. is one of the most consumed vegetables in the world; nevertheless, it is affected by biotic and abiotic factors that reduce its productivity. The whitefly is globally considered as the main pest under protected crop conditions, where biologic control using endophytic fungi emerges as a sustainable alternative. We evaluated the indirect effects of five native endophytic strains of Beauveria bassiana on the reproduction of greenhouse whiteflies and the growth of tomatoes. The plant growth substrate was inoculated with five strains of this endophyte and the resulting plants were then exposed to whiteflies afterwards. The effect that endophytic strains had on phosphate solubilization, iron siderophore production, plant height, and plant biomass were evaluated. The evaluated endophytes reduced the number of eggs per cm2 on leaflets compared to the control and behaved similarly to the commercial synthetic insecticide. Leaflets inoculated with strains RGM-557, RGM-644 and RGM-731 showed fewer nymphs than the control and those treated with insecticide. RGM-557 and RGM-731 produced the greatest plant heights; RGM-731 obtained the greatest plant biomass. Our study provides evidence that native endophytic strains of B. bassiana have a biocontrol effect on whiteflies and could be used to promote tomato growth.

One of the best alternatives to reduce the amount of chemical insecticides released into the environment is biological agents. Metarhizium anisopliae (Metschn.) Sorokin 1883 (Hypocreales: Clavicipitaceae) is an entomopathogenic fungus with great potential as a biological pesticide to biologically control pests. However, the relatively high cost of the substrate needed for its mass production system increases product price and discourages its use. The objective of this study was to optimize the mass production conditions of M. anisopliae for use as a biological control agent using two solid substrates, new parboiled rice (NPR) and recycled parboiled rice (RPR). Conidial production was optimized by the response surface methodology (RSM). The effects of the temperature, time, and molasses variables and the interactions between them (conidia g -1 ) were determined. For the NPR substrate, it was determined that the significant variables were time and temperature, and the interactions were temperature × molasses and temperature × time. For the RPR substrate, the significant variables were temperature and time, and the interactions were time × molasses and temperature × time. Both substrates obtained the highest industrial yields at 25 °C for a period of 20 d. Given that the percentage of molasses was not critical for yields, it is recommended that it be set at 5% to reduce costs. Finally, it was possible to use the RPR substrate from the M. anisopliae produ9ction itself as an alternative to solid substrate; mean industrial performance (conidia g -1 ) was higher than values obtained with NPR and at a lower cost.

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