Bioprospección de Microorganismos Benéficos Presentes en Frutales de Interés Económico del Ecuador

General objective Identify native microorganisms present in fruit trees of economic interest in Ecuador with possible biocontrol potential of their main pests. Justification The use of microorganisms in the biological control of pests and diseases is an attractive alternative. Currently, agriculture with more ecological practices is preferred, such as biological control, through the use of antagonistic microorganisms, which can limit the initiation and spread of diseases caused by plant pathogens through mechanisms of competition, antibiosis, resistance induction, among others. Through this research, it is intended to isolate strains of autochthonous microorganisms from fruit trees of economic interest, which have antagonistic capacity, in order to validate their biocontrol activity against the phytosanitary problems of each crop. Through in vitro tests, for the creation of a bank of beneficial strains. Currently there is a demand for food production that uses technologies that are friendly to the environment and that do not affect human health, and also that are of better quality, since it is also known that synthetic pesticides can bioaccumulate in food and pass into consumers (Carcaño, Ferrera, & Moreno, 2006). Therefore, it is important to reduce the use of chemical fertilizers in order to obtain safe food.