This study aims to determine the species composition and density of colony-forming units (CFU) of entomopathogenic fungi (EPF) in leaf litter at different depths of the top layer of forest soils depending on the type of forest (coniferous, deciduous and mixed forest), and the date of sampling (spring, autumn). In each type of forest, leaf litter and soil were collected using a soil stick from four depths of soil: 0–5, 5–10, 10–15 and 15–20 cm. Entomopathogenic fungi were isolated by a soil or litter dilution plating method on a selective medium. Four fungal genera were found: Beauveria spp., Cordyceps spp., Metarhizium spp., and Lecanicillium spp. The density of EPF was usually higher in leaf litter than in the layers of soil below, and the most frequently isolated species from both environments were Beauveria spp. among soil samples from all forest types; Beauveria spp. were most abundant in the top layer (0–5 cm), and their density of CFUs gradually decreased deeper into the soil profile.

The efficacy of two strains of two Beauveria species (B. bassiana and B. brongniartii), individually or as co-inoculants, to control Melolontha sp. grubs was assessed in two organic strawberry plantations in relation to the environmental conditions, their abundance after soil inoculation, and their in vitro chitinolytic activity, thereby also verifying their impact on soil microbial communities. A reduction of the grubs’ damage to strawberry plants was observed when compared to the untreated control in one plantation, irrespective of the strain used and whether they were applied as single or as co-inoculum. The metabolic pattern expressed by the two fungi in vitro was different: B. bassiana showed a higher metabolic versatility in the use of different carbon sources than B. brongniartii, whose profile was partly overlapped in the co-inoculum. Similar differences in the chitinolytic activity of each of the fungi and the co-inoculum were also pointed out. A higher abundance of B. bassiana in the soils receiving this species in comparison to those receiving B. brongniartii, together with its in vitro metabolic activity, could account for the observed diverse efficacy of pest damage control of the two species. However, environmental and climatic factors also affected the overall efficacy of the two bioinocula. According to the monitoring of the two species in soil, B. bassiana could be considered as a common native species in the studied locations in contrast to B. brongniartii, which seemed to be a non-endemic species. Nevertheless, the inoculation with both species or the co-inoculum did not consistently affect the soil microbial (fungi and bacteria) biodiversity, as expressed by the operational taxonomic unit (OTU) number and Shannon–Wiener diversity index based on terminal restriction fragment length polymorphism (TRFLP) data. A small transient increase of the share of the inoculated species to the total fungal community was noted by the analysis of genes copy numbers only for B. brongniartii at the end of the third growing season.

The aim of the study was to determine the effect of temperature on the colony growth and conidia germination of selected species of entomopathogenic fungi in the genus Cordyceps (C. farinosa, C. fumosorosea and C. coleopterorum) and one isolate of Paecilomyces suffultus. In the first part of the experiment, selected isolates were grown on Sabouraud (SDA) medium at six temperatures: 5, 10, 15, 20, 25 and 30 °C. Colony growth was observed every 3 days until day 18, by measuring the colony diameter. In the second part of the experiment, slides with an SDA medium and spores were placed in incubators with the above temperature and observations on conidia germination were carried out after 24 and 48 h. The results revealed that the thermal optimum for colony growth of the fungal isolates was within the temperature range of 15 °C and 25 °C. The optimum temperature for the growth of P. suffultus colonies was 15 °C, with 20 °C for C. farinosa and C. coleopterorum. The highest thermal requirements were demonstrated by the C. fumosorosea, which developed best at 25 °C. Cordyceps farinosa and C. fumosorosea developed in a wider temperature range, from 5 °C to 30 °C. In contrast, growth of C. coleopterorum and P. suffultus colonies was observed only at temperatures between 10 °C and 25 °C. After 24 h, spore germination of the fungal species was most intense at 25 °C. After both 24 and 48 h, the temperature of 5 °C stopped the spore germination of all fungal species, and in the case of C. farinosa and C. fumosorosea no germination was also found at 30 °C. This study on the effect of temperature on the growth and spore germination of the species C. coleopterorum and P. suffultus is the first research of its type. The fungal isolates tested in this work in terms of thermal requirements have shown high pathogenicity in relation to selected plant pests in previous studies, which indicates their potential usefulness in IPM programs.

The aim of the study was to compare the species composition and the intensity of occurrence of entomopathogenic fungi in the soil of arable fields and adjacent grassland and forest habitats. The soil and litter samples were collected in October 2012 from different habitats: mixed forest, farmland and meadow. Fungi were isolated from soil by means of two methods: trap insects (larvae of Galleria mellonella) and selective medium. A total five entomopathogenic fungal species: Beauveria bassiana, Metarhizium anisopliae, Isaria fumosorosea, Isaria farinosa and Conidiobolus sp., were isolated by means of the first method, while only three first species of fungi by means of selective medium. It was found, that usually one fungal species dominated in each of the surveyed habitats. On average in the litter and forest soil the most infectious units formed fungus B. bassiana, in the soil of farmlands M. anisopliae, while in the meadow soil in a similar intensity I. fumosorosea and B. bassiana occurred. The richest species composition of entomopathogenic fungi was found in soils from meadows but the highest density of their colony forming units was found in soil samples collected from the small-scale arable fields. Celem badań było porównanie składu gatunkowego oraz nasilenia występowania grzybów owadobójczych w glebach z pól uprawnych oraz sąsiadujących z nimi użytków zielonych i siedlisk leśnych. Materiał stanowiły próby gleby i ściółki leśnej pobrane w październiku 2012 r. z różnych siedlisk: las mieszany, pole uprawne i łąka kośna. Grzyby owadobójcze izolowano z gleby stosując metodę owadów pułapkowych (larwy Galleria mellonella) oraz podłoże selektywne. Z badanych gleb za pomocą pierwszej metody wyizolowano pięć gatunków grzybów owadobójczych: Beauveria bassiana, Metarhizium anisopliae, Isaria fumosorosea, I. farinosa i Conidiobolus sp., natomiast stosując podłoże selektywne stwierdzono obecność tylko trzech pierwszych gatunków. Ustalono, że w każdym z badanych siedlisk dominował zwykle jeden gatunek grzyba. W ściółce i glebie leśnej najwięcej jednostek infekcyjnych tworzył grzyb B. bassiana, w glebie z pól M. anisopliae, natomiast w glebie łąkowej w zbliżonym nasileniu wystąpiły I. fumosorosea i B. bassiana. W glebach z łąk odnotowano najbogatszy skład gatunkowy badanych grzybów, a największe zagęszczenie jednostek tworzących kolonie stwierdzono w próbach gleb z małoobszarowych pól uprawnych.

Celem pracy było porównanie składu rodzajowego oraz nasilenia występowania grzybów entomopatogenicznych w glebach pól uprawnych z ochroną chemiczną i bez niej, a wśród nich gleb z systemu uprawy agroleśnej. Materiał do badań stanowiły próby gleb uprawnych pobrane w 2021 r. (wiosna, jesień) w indywidualnym gospodarstwie rolnym o powierzchni 7,42 ha, położonym w miejscowości Kołodziąż, woj. mazowieckie. Obiektami badawczymi bez ochrony chemicznej były próby glebowe pobrane z łąki, zadrzewienia śródpolnego oraz uprawy agroleśnej alejowej (Sosnówka, woj. lubelskie) w 2022 r. Grzyby entomopatogeniczne izolowano, stosując metodę owadów pułapkowych oraz izolacji na podłoże selektywne. W trakcie prowadzonych badań wyizolowano grzyby owadobójcze z rodzajów: Beauveria, Metarhizium i Cordyceps. Oceniając łączne nasilenie oznaczonych rodzajów grzybów owadobójczych w obu terminach badań, stwierdzono, że najwięcej larw owada pułapkowego zainfekowanych było przez grzyby w glebach pobranych z zadrzewień śródpolnych i gleb łąkowych (bez ochrony chemicznej). Przeprowadzone badania wykazały, że w glebach gruntów ornych, na których zastosowano ochronę chemiczną, wyizolowane rodzaje grzybów entomopatogenicznych produkowały mniej jednostek tworzących kolonie (jtk) niż na glebach, na których nie stosowano ochrony chemicznej.

Biostymulatory, a wśród nich bionawozy wydają się jednym z najlepszych sposobów na wzrost lub utrzymanie obecnego tempa produkcji żywności, przy jednoczesnym zapewnieniu stabilności środowiska przyrodniczego. Celem pracy było określenie wpływu wybranych bionawozów zawierających substancje humusowe na wzrost w warunkach in vitro grzybów owadobójczych z rodzaju Beauveria i Metarhizium w kontekście łącznego ich stosowania w uprawie i ochronie roślin. W warunkach laboratoryjnych zbadano wpływ bionawozów Rosahumus, Liqhumus 18 i BNB na wzrost kolonii czterech wybranych gatunków grzybów entomopatogenicznych Beauveria bassiana, Beauveria brongniartii, Metarhizium anisopliae i Metarhizium flavoviride. Bionawozy do podłoża hodowlanego Sabourauda (SDA) dodano w zalecanej dawce polowej. Obserwacje wzrostu kolonii prowadzono co 5 dni aż do 20. dnia mierząc średnicę kolonii w mm. Przeprowadzone badania wykazały, iż zastosowane w doświadczeniu bionawozy zawierające substancje humusowe działały w sposób zróżnicowany na wzrost gatunków grzybów owadobójczych z rodzaju Beauveria i Metarhizium. Spośród testowanych bionawozów, tylko preparat BNB w stosunku do wszystkich testowanych izolatów wykazał działanie inhibicyjne. Największe działanie stymulujące badanych preparatów stwierdzono w stosunku do grzybów B. bassiana i M. flavoviride, natomiast najbardziej wrażliwym gatunkiem okazał się M. anisopliae. Biofertilizers, including biofertilizers, seem to be one of the best ways to increase or maintain the current rate of food production, while ensuring the stability of the natural environment. The aim of the study was to determine the effect of selected biofertilizers containing humic substances on the in vitro growth of entomopathogenic fungi of the genus Beauveria and Metarhizium in the context of their combined use in plant cultivation and protection. The effect of biofertilizers Rosahumus, Liqhumus 18 and BNB on the growth of colonies of four selected species of entomopathogenic fungi Beauveria bassiana, Beauveria brongniartii, Metarhizium anisopliae and Metarhizium flavoviride was tested in laboratory conditions. Biofertilizers were added to the Sabourauda (SDA) culture medium at the recommended field dose. Colony growth observations were made every 5 days until day 20th by measuring colony diameters in mm. The conducted research showed that the biofertilizers containing humic substances used in the experiment acted in a different way on the growth of insecticidal fungi of the genus Beauveria and Metarhizium. Among the tested biofertilizers, only the BNB preparation showed an inhibitory effect on all the tested isolates. The greatest stimulating effect of the tested preparations was found in relation to the fungi B. bassiana and M. flavoviride, while the most sensitive species turned out to be M. anisopliae.