Beauveria bassiana is a worldwide distributed
entomopathogenic fungus, which is used nowadays as an
alternative to chemical pesticides in the control of several
agriculture pests. Therefore, a preservation method must be
established in order to maintain fungal culture and stocks,
while fungal characteristics, like morphological features,
spore production and viability, are kept well preserved.
Although a large number of different storage methods are
available and described, each fungus presents different
characteristics, and therefore a new challenge for its
preservation. In this work, we evaluate the effect of 1-year
preservation by lyophilization, glycerol-freeze at −20°C and
sub-culturing on growth, production and viability of spores
and macro- and micro-morphology of three isolates of B.
bassiana. Overall, results indicate that sub-culturing is the
best method for conservation of this fungal species.
However, if long-term storage is required, glycerol-freeze
proved to be the most capable method of preservation.
