Effects of nutrient additives and incubation period on sporulation and viability of the entomopathogenic fungus, Metarhizium anisopliae (Hypocreales: Clavicipitaceae)

Aims: Metarhizium anisopliae is an entomopathogenic fungus (EPF) that exists naturally in the environment and potentially be used as a biological control agent against many insect pests.This study aims to evaluate the effect of nutrient additives on the yield and viability of M. anisopliae spore and to determine the optimum incubation period for maximum spore production.Methodology and results: In this study, M. anisopliae was cultivated by solid-state fermentation using rice as a growth medium.Three different nutrient additives were examined which aimed to maximize the production of M. anisopliae spores.Among the three nutrient additives evaluated, yeast (1.84 ± 0.04 g) supported better growth and spore production than molasses (0.58 ± 0.04 g) and palm oil (0.47 ± 0.09 g).The incubation period between 2-6 weeks produced higher spore yield (0.97 ± 0.02 g spores) at week 4 with a better spore viability (86.30 ± 0.45%) at week 2. Conclusion, significance and impact of study: Hence, it is suggested that the optimum incubation period is between 2 and 6 weeks after inoculation, and M. anisopliae could be mass produced in large quantities on rice substrate with the addition of yeast as the nutrient additives.