The influence of a single-spore isolate and repeated subculturing on the pathogenicity of conidia of the entomophagous fungus Beauveria bassiana

The potential of monospore isolations for detecting strains of the entomophagous fungus Beauveria bassiana with increased virulence was investigated as well as the effect of repeated subculturing of both multispore parent strains and 28 newly obtained single-spore isolates on virulence. The use of the singlespore method enabled the disclosure of six spontaneous mutants surpassing the mother strain in pathogenicity, i.e., in a quicker effect and a higher virulence. The use of an optimal medium enabled an enhancement of virulence of all types of isolates. Differences among spontaneous mutants were indicated by the slope of the probit line. Our newly formed positive mutants retained their high pathogenicity both in repeated subculturing and in materials subcultured after a 12-month storage.