PESTS AND DISEASES MANAGEMENT USING COMPATIBLE BIOCONTROL BACTERIA AND ENTOMOPATHOGENIC FUNGAL STRAINS

Pest and disease management using biocontrol microbial strains is a request of the organic agriculture or a phytosanitary alternative that can decrease chemical inputs in the integrated agricultural systems. Biocontrol bacteria of Bacillus spp. proved to suppress soil-borne phytopathogenic fungi. RDIPP selected strains of Bacillus amyloliquefaciens, B. licheniformis and B. subtilis provided to be useful in plant protection and formulated them as bioproducts for seed and soil treatments. For pest biological control, entomopathogenic fungi such as Beauveria bassiana, B. brongniartii, Isaria farinosa, Metarhizium anisopliae and Verticillium lecanii are known as efficient. For this reason, the aim of our work was to select compatible microbial strains of biocontrol bacteria and entomopathogenic fungi that could be applied together, as simultaneously treatments, for suppressing diseases and pests attack. Results revealed in vitro compatibility of Bacillus licheniformis 77.1s biocontrol strain with Beauveria spp. entomopathogenic fungi. These biological control microorganisms could be used in combination to prevent in the same time pests and diseases. As a requirement for environmental safety, the selected microbial strains were ecotoxicologicaly tested according to the GLP principles (Good Laboratory Practices) and OECD guidelines. Results proved that the selected strains were nontoxic for non-target species of the aquatic and soil macrofauna: Daphnia magna (crustacean) and Eisenia foetida (earth worm) respectively.