Evaluation of different cereal and millet based media for large-scale production of entomopathogenic fungus, Metarhizium anisopliae (Metchnikoff) Sorokin

Abstract

Six different media consisting of rice, bajra, sorghum, maize, wheat, and foxtail millet, were assessed for their potential in the mass-scale cultivation of the entomopathogenic fungus, Metarhizium anisopliae. Among these grains, crushed rice with 1% yeast extract demonstrated the highest spore count (27.56 x 10º conidia/g), on the 25th day for the fungus. This was followed by crushed bajra with 1% yeast extract (22.89 x 10 conidia/g), crushed sorghum with 1% yeast extract (12.54 x 10 conidia/g), and crushed maize with 1% yeast extract (7.57 x 10' conidia/g). In contrast, Crushed fox tail millet with 1% yeast extract yielded the lowest conidial production on the 25th day (5.86 x 10 conidia/g). Conidial production showed an increasing trend from the 6th to the 25th day and remained relatively stable thereafter across all treatments. This study underscores the potential use of alternative nutrient sources derived from various agricultural products for the large-scale cultivation of entomopathogenic fungus M. anisopliae. Such findings hold promise for biopesticide development and sustainable pest control practices.