Background Entomopathogenic fungi have long been used as a biopeptide in the biological control of insect pests in agriculture, forestry and veterinary. At the same time, it is known that these fungi have positive effects on plant growth, health, and the antagonist effect against various plant pathogens. Entomopathogenic fungal isolation was performed from soil samples collected from apple orchards and Tropinota (=Epicometis) hirta (Poda) (Coleoptera: Cetoniidae) adults which is an important pest of fruit trees. The isolated fungi were identified at the species level by phylogenetic analysis based on multi-locus sequence approach using various gene sequences (ITS, rpb1, bloc, EF1-α and β-tubulin). The fungi obtained were tested against T. hirta and the apple scab disease, Ventura inaequalis under laboratory conditions. Results Three (Bz isolates) and 15 (AK isolates) entomopathogenic fungi (EPF) were isolated from T. hirta adults and 48 soil samples, respectively. The isolated fungi were identified as Beauveria bassiana (Bz-1, Bz-2, AK-10, AK-14, AK-17, and AK-18), Metarhizium robertsii (Bz-3, AK-4, AK-5, AK-6, AK-7, AK-8, AK-9, AK-11, AK-13, AK-15, and AK-16) and Metarhizium sp. (AK-12). All isolated fungi were tested against T. hirta adults, causing the same mortality but different mycosis values. In addition, the antagonistic effects of fungal isolates against V. inaequalis, the important apple pathogen, were determined and the highest effect was obtained from B. bassiana AK-10 with 69.3%. Conclusion This is the first study to determine the effectiveness of EPF against T. hirta and V. inaequalis, and the results obtained are thought to be useful for the biological control of both pests.

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The soil is a very rich environment in terms of microorganism diversity and the microorganisms in the soil are the source for many secondary metabolites. Bacteria in the family Bacillaceae are commonly found in the soil and can maintain their vitality for many years because of their spore production. At the same time, the species in this family can produce secondary metabolites which have different functions. In this study, Bacillus or Bacillus-like bacteria were isolated from soil samples in wheat fields and they were identified based on their morphological and molecular features using 16S rRNA gene sequencing. In addition, the antimicrobial activities of the isolates were investigated against various important human pathogens. A total of twenty bacteria were isolated and all of them were identified as Bacillus sp., except for ES-18 which is Lysinibacillus xylanilyticus. Six isolates showed antibacterial activity at different levels and the most effective isolate, ES-18, showed antimicrobial activity against Bacillus cereus, B. megaterium, B. subtilis, Stapyhlococcus aureus, Enterococcus faecalis and Listeria monocytogenes. MIC values of the isolate ES-18 were also determined against the related bacteria and the highest dilution factor was determined to be 2-1. It was also determined that all effective dilutions were bacteriostatic. This is the first study showing antimicrobial properties of L. xylanilyticus and the results obtained from this study might be important for the discovery of new antimicrobial compounds.