Effects of organic and conventional agriculture on entomopathogenic fungi

Naturally occurring entomopathogenic fungi provide a valued service of killing agricultural pests and subduing pest outbreaks. Species such as Beauveria bassiana and Metarhizium anisopliae have been researched in great depth and have proven to be effective pathogens. This study will compare abundance of the fungi in organic and conventional agriculture. Soil from organic and conventional fields, specifically corn and soybean, will be surveyed in the summer and early fall of 2011 and 2012 and returned to the lab for analysis. Fungi will be quantified by baiting with live insects, including the species Galleria mellonella, and by counting colony forming units on selective plate media. An additional laboratory experiment will test the direct effects of popular herbicides and fungicides on the abundance of entomopathogenic fungi in the soil samples. We hypothesize that organic farming methods better suit populations of soil‐borne entomopathogenic fungi and that conventional farming methods, coupled with the use of particular chemicals, may have a directly negative impact on these fungi populations. Better understanding of these organisms is an essential step in developing more robust integrated pest management.