Effects of fluctuating moisture and temperature regimes on the persistence of quiescent conidia of Isaria fumosorosea.

Conidia of Isaria fumosorosea were submitted to three regimes of temperature and moisture to simulate microclimatic conditions which prevail in temperate (43% RH and 28 degrees C to 98% RH and 15 degrees C), subtropical (75% RH and 35 degrees C to 98% RH and 25 degrees C), and arid areas (13% RH and 40 degrees C to 33% RH and 15 degrees C) with daily fluctuating cycles. Germination, conidial viability, and virulence to Spodoptera frugiperda larvae were less affected after 20 days exposure under temperate cycling conditions than under arid and subtropical conditions. Exposure of conidia for 20 days to constant nocturnal simulated conditions of any tested regime weakly affected conidial persistence, whereas diurnal conditions exerted the most detrimental effects of high temperatures. However, when tested at both 45 degrees C and 50 degrees C at 33% RH for 160 h, the persistence of I. fumosorosea conidia was relatively higher than expected. These results emphasize that climatic conditions prevailing in environments and ecological fitness of fungal isolates have to be taken into account for assessing microbial control strategies. Copyright 2010 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.