Suitability of agricultural by-products as production medium for spore production by Beauveria bassiana HQ917687

Purpose The seemingly harmful effect of chemical insecticidesto the environment, plants and human health, hasled to prominent role of entomopathogenic fungi (ENPF)as biopesticide. However, the success of ENPF as biocontrolagent depends on their amenability to easy andcheap mass multiplication. Solid state fermentation (SSF)has emerged as an appropriate technology for managementof agro-industrial residues and for their value addition. Inthis study, the potentiality of agricultural by-products formass multiplication of Beauveria bassiana wasdetermined.Methods Two sets of SSF experiments with agriculturalby-products [tea leaf waste, wheat bran, husk of rice,pigeon pea and urad, and seed cake of jatropha and pongamia]as substrates; one with fortification of nutrients,while other with no nutrient addition were performed. Thesubstrates (200 g) were inoculated with B. bassiana sporesuspension (1 9 108 spores/ml) and incubated at 28 C for14 days. After the incubation period, B. bassiana sporeconcentrations were enumerated.Results Maximum spore production was observed in ricehusk, while jatropha seed cake showed least spore production.Addition of nutrient supplements in the substratesshowed slight (pongamia seed cake) to significant (ricehusk, tea leaf waste) increase in spore production. Theresults showed constant increase in spore production withincrease in C/N ratio of the substrates.Conclusions Mass production processes directly influencesthe cost, shelf life, virulence, and field efficacy offungal pathogens. The results from this investigation areexpected to pave the way towards commercialization of B.bassiana by augmenting the research in fungal massproduction.