Isolation and identification of entomopathogenic fungi from coastal districts of Ordu province, Turkey

Abstract

A total of 250 soil samples were taken from the forest, hazelnut, kiwi, vegetable, and meadow-rangeland areas in the coastal regions of Ordu province, Turkey. Entomopathogenic fungi were isolated from these soil samples using the Galleria-bait method. Eighty-five fungal isolates were isolated from these soil samples, after which they were morphologically and molecularly identified. After morphological characterization, 64 out of 85 isolates were identified molecularly. Based on the molecular characterization results, twenty-three out of the 64 isolates were Beauveria bassiana (35.94%), 11 isolates were Metarhizium brunneum (17.19%), 8 isolates were Metarhizium anisopliae (12.5%), 6 isolates were Metarhizium robertsii (9.38%), 4 isolates were Purpureocillium lilacinum (6.25%), 4 isolates were Clonostachys rogersoniana (6.25%), 3 isolates were Fusarium solani (4.69%), 1 isolate was Clonostachys rossmaniae (1.56%), 1 isolate was Aspergillus flavus (1.56%), 1 isolate was Cordyceps cicadae (1.56%), 1 isolate was Cordyceps fumosorosea (1.56%), and 1 isolate was Fusarium oxysporum (1.56%). In the coastal area of Ordu province, the most common entomopathogen fungal genus is Metarhizium followed by Beauveria bassiana.