Researching a local weapons: A potential native fungal biocontrol in Mexico

Background Entomopathogenic fungi´s (EPFs), represents a successful alternative against pests in various agroecosystems worldwide. However, Mexican agrifood production faces serious challenges due to the incidence of insect pests that have reduced crop yields, leading to the indiscriminate use of organosynthetic pesticides. Therefore, it is necessary to study the potential of native EPFs isolates as an alternative for Integrated Pest Management (IPM). The objective of this study was to sample agricultural soils in Venustiano Carranza and Pajacuarán, Michoacán, Mexico, to isolate EPFs with biocontrol potential and to characterize them pathogenically and at the molecular level. Results Morphological and molecular analyses indicate the genus of the isolate corresponds to Beauveria spp; Metarhizium sp. and Aspergillus spp. Interestingly in the phylogenic analysis, we observed a great genetic distance between Aspergillus isolates. This is consistent with the theory that this genus shows genetic robustness. Conclusions These results indicate the presence of native EPFs in the study areas, which provides a promising basis for the development of new biopesticides, offering a sustainable alternative for agricultural production.