Monitoring of the entomopathogenic fungus Beauveria brongniartii in cockchafer infested areas of the Euroregion Tyrol

Abstract: The persistence of the entomopathogenic fungus Beauveria brongniartii in soils in theEuroregion Tyrol has been evaluated over a period of two decades. The fungal productMelocont® Pilzgerste was successfully applied on the fields in different concentrations andintervals between 1989 and 2012. In July and August 2012 the soil samples were drawn andanalyzed on selective media to determine the occurrence of Beauveria spp. Preliminary resultsfrom microsatellite analysis showed that the re-isolated Beauveria strains from the test sites,which had been treated during the last four years, were identified as the production strain. Newinsights into colonisation, mobility and persistence of B. brongniartii in soils will be discussed inthe presentation.