Screening and Virulence of the Entomopathogenic Fungi Associated with Chilo suppressalis Walker

The current study aimed to explore the entomopathogenic fungi associated with the larvae of Walker, a serious pest of rice, in northern Iran. The collected specimens were cultured and identified through morphological and molecular methods. The 38 specimens were identified by microscopic examination and genetic sequencing of the ITS region as follows: twenty-one isolates of , five isolates of four isolates of , three isolates of , two isolates , two isolates of sp. and one isolate of sp. All the identified isolates were treated on the larvae through bioassay, evaluating the amount of hydrophobin and the activities of proteases, chitinases and lipase to find their virulence. Moreover, the percentage of thermotolerant and cold activity of the isolates were tested to determine their environmental persistence. The overall results revealed the isolates of including BBRR1, BBAL1 and BBLN1 as the most virulent and environmental adaptive isolates among the fungi associated with .