Presencia natural de hongos hyphomycetes en larvas invernantes de Diatraea saccharalis F. en ca？a de azúcar en Tucumán, Argentina

sugarcane borer diatraea saccharalis (fabricius) (lepidoptera: pyralidae) is the most important pest affecting sugarcane crops in tucumán. optimizing its management entails combining different available resources, even natural ones, accurately. since 2005, a survey of entomopathogenic fungi present in the local sugarcane agroecosystem has been under way. the aim is to detect and identify entomopathogenic fungi which cause natural death in hibernating d. saccharalis larvae affecting sugarcane in tucumán, argentina. by now, beauveria bassiana (bals.) vuill. (57.13%), metarhizium anisopliae (metsch.) sorokin (23.82%), nomuraea rileyi (farlow) samson (9.53%) and isaria sp. persoon: fries (9.53%) have been found naturally in hibernating sugarcane borer larvae in sugarcane crops in the province of tucumán. this finding may be relevant in suggesting that sugarcane borer population might be regulated by hyphomycetes.