Endophytic colonization of date palm (Phoenix dactylifera L.) leaves by entomopathogenic fungi

Light and scanning electron microscopy together with fungal isolation techniques were used to detect entomopathogenic fungi within young and adult date palm (Phoenix dactylifera) petioles and to assess fungal survival in leaf tissues. The entomopathogenic fungi Beauveria bassiana, Lecanicillium dimorphum and Lecanicillium c.f. psalliotae survived inside leaf tissues at least 30 days after inoculation. Entomopathogenic fungi colonized inoculated petioles endophytically and were recovered up to 3 cm from the inoculation site. Fungi were detected inside the parenchyma and sparsely within vascular tissue using microscopy techniques. Our results show that the entomopathogenic fungi used in this study survived and colonized date palm tissues in bioassays both under laboratory and field experimental conditions with no evidence of significant damage.