In vitro Evaluation of Growth and Mass Sporulation of the Entomopathogenic Fungus Nomuraea rileyi

Abstract

This study evaluated the effect of eight locally available substrates on the sporulation of the entomopathogenic fungus Nomuraea rileyi (Farlow) Samson under in vitro conditions at PG laboratory, Department of Agricultural Microbiology, N. M. College of Agriculture, Navsari Agricultural University, Navsari (Gujarat). A total eight different locally available substrates were tested, including paddy straw, paddy husk, finger millet grain, finger millet husk, wheat grain, sorghum grain, sugarcane trash and rice flakes by adopting Complete Randomized Design. Among different substrates, significantly highest sporulation (3.60 × 109 conidia ml-1) was recorded in sorghum grain. The next effective treatments were wheat grain and finger millet grain, with sporulation rates of 2.70 × 109 and 1.28 × 109 conidia ml-1, respectively. However, low sporulation was recorded in paddy straw, paddy husk, rice flakes and sugarcane trash. The findings suggest that locally available cereal grains and substrates are suitable for the mass production of N. rileyi, and optimizing substrate formulations can enhance sporulation rates and improve the efficacy of this biocontrol agent.