The Effect of Herbicide Use on the Occurrence of Entomopathogenic Fungi in the Soil of Blackcurrant Plantations

Abstract

The aim of the paper was to present species composition and density of colony-forming units of entomopathogenic fungi (EPF) in the soil sampled from the herbicide fallow and sward strips of four blackcurrant (Ribes nigrum L.) fields in Poland. Samples collected in spring and autumn were used as study material. The fungi were isolated with the method of scattering diluted soil onto the selective medium. In order to protect the plants against pests, conventional plant protection was applied to all fields. In the soil taken from the blackcurrant fields three species of entomopathogenic fungi were found: Beauveria bassiana s.l. (Bals.-Criv.) Vuill., Isaria fumosorosea (Wize) and Metarhizium anisopliae s.l. (Metschn.) Sorokin. Both in spring and autumn isolated fungi produced more colony-forming units (CFU) in soil collected from the sward strips than from the herbicide fallow of the blackcurrant fields. In spring B. bassiana s.l. and M. anisopliae s.l. produced more CFU in the soil under sward than in the herbicide strip with intense chemical protection. In the case of I. fumosorosea in spring there was a tendency for CFU to be more numerous in the soil of the herbicide fallow.