PRODUCTION OF Beuaveria bassiana (Bals.) Vuill. FOR CONTROL OF COFFEE BORER (Hypothenemus hampei Ferr.)

Abstract

The entomopathogenic fungus (Beuaveria bassiana) infects the coffee borer (Hypothenemus hampei) under laboratory and field conditions; it can be massively propagated by using cereals such as rice, wheat and wheat bran, since they present a concentration higher than 1x10¹⁰ conidia per gram and pathogenicity higher than 90%; therefore, they comply with the quality control regulations to reproduce entomopathogenic fungi, adjusting the water pH to between 5.0 and 6.0. The dosage required to be applied for borer control is 1.00 kg ha^-1, and application should begin in the month of May for the conditions of Soconusco, Chiapas, México.