Skip to content
Research Article Open access CC BY 4.0

Mass Production, Yield, Quality, Formulation and Efficacy of Entomopathogenic Metarhizium anisopliae Conidia

Lioudmila Ibrahim, Lilian Laham, Alissar Touma, Said Ibrahim

Current Journal of Applied Science and Technology · pp. 427–440 · Published 29 May 2015

10.9734/BJAST/2015/17882

Abstract

Aims: The aim of this study was to develop an easy but robust method for mass production, to formulate and compare the efficacy of mass produced conidia of a local isolate Metarhizium anisopliae against aphids and oil-formulated conidia against whiteflies. Study Design: The randomized complete block design with replications. Place and Duration of Study: 2012-2014, Laboratory of Crop Protection Department, Faculty of Agricultural Engineering and Veterinary Medicine, Lebanese University. Methodology: Isolate of fungal entomopathogen M. anisopliae (Metschn.) Sorokin (LIM1) was grown on cooked rice, wheat, vegetable peels and burgul in roasting bags to produce and harvest spore powder. The cultures were dried and total yield of harvested conidia was determined. After harvesting, spores were submitted to quality control to assess concentration, germination, purity, moisture content and pathogenicity against rose aphid, Macrosiphum rosae L., mealy plum aphid, Hyalopterus pruni and melon aphid, Aphis gossypii Glover. Formulated in different oils, conidia were stored at different temperatures for 16 weeks. Oil-formulated conidia were tested against whiteflies under field conditions. Results: Among the substrates studied, burgul had the highest yield (21 g/100 g substrate). The optimum time for harvesting was 3 weeks. C:N ratio was also the lowest for conidia produced on burgul which caused the highest mortalities and thus appeared the most virulent against all tested insects. Sunflower oil formulated conidia retained viability for at least 16 weeks at room temperature. The preliminary results indicated some but not significant control of whiteflies in the pot experiments. Conclusion: M. anisopliae could be mass produced in large quantities on burgul substrate. The quality of produced inocula as measured by endogenous C:N ratios would be largely affected by substrate used for mass production. The quality would also influence the efficacy against target insects. Mass produced conidia could also be stored as dry or formulated in sunflower oil at room temperature up to 16 weeks. Use of endogenous C:N ratio as quality control indicator for high quality inocula is highly recommended. Use of vegetable peels as potential substrate for mass production combined with a recyclable oil as formulant could be a low cost and environmentally sustainable technology for future mass production of entomogenous fungi.

Metarhizium anisopliae conidia mass production C:N ratio formulation oils

References (26)

  1. 1 Chemistry of Deep‐Fat Frying Oils [DOI]
  2. 2 Production, formulation and application of the entomopathogenic fungus Beauveria bassiana for insect control: current status [DOI]
  3. 3 Ecological considerations in producing and formulating fungal entomopathogens for use in insect biocontrol [DOI]
  4. 4 Nutrition influences growth and virulence of the insect-pathogenic fungus Metarhizium anisopliae [DOI]
  5. 5 Production, stabilization and formulation of fungal biocontrol agents. [DOI]
  6. 6 Determination of organic carbon in soils and fertilizers [DOI]
  7. 7 Effect of artificial culture media on germination, growth, virulence and surface properties of the entomopathogenic hyphomycete Metarhizium anisopliae [DOI]
  8. 8 The germination of oil-formulated conidia of the insect pathogen, Metarhizium anisopliae [DOI]
  9. 9 Effects of Moisture Content and Temperature on Storage of Metarhizium flavoviride Conidia [DOI]
  10. 10 Oxidative stability and shelf-life evaluation of selected culinary oils [DOI]
  11. 11 Effect of Host Plant on the Potential ofPaecilomyces fumosoroseus(Deuteromycotina: Hyphomycetes) for Controlling the Silverleaf Whitefly,Bemisia argentifolii(Homoptera: Aleyrodidae) in Greenhouses [DOI]
  12. 12 Influence of Nutrition During Conidiation ofColletotrichum truncatumon Conidial Germination and Efficacy in Inciting Disease inSesbania exaltata [DOI]
  13. 13 Carbon Concentration and Carbon-to-Nitrogen Ratio Influence Submerged-Culture Conidiation by the Potential Bioherbicide Colletotrichum truncatum NRRL 13737 [DOI]
  14. 14 Effects of KCl concentration on accumulation of acyclic sugar alcohols and trehalose in conidia of three entomopathogenic fungi [DOI]
  15. 15 Intensification of insecticide resistance in UK field populations of the peach-potato aphid, Myzus persicae (Hemiptera: Aphididae) in 1996 [DOI]
  16. 16 Endogenous reserves and survival of blastospores of Beauveria bassiana harvested from carbon- and nitrogen-limited batch cultures [DOI]
  17. 17 Storage and persistence of a candidate fungal biopesticide for use against adult malaria vectors [DOI]
  18. 18 Effect of Growing Media and Water Volume on Conidial Production of Beauveria bassiana and Metarhizium anisopliae [DOI]
  19. 19 PATHOGENICITY OF ENTOMOPATHOGENIC FUNGI FROM LEBANESE SOILS AGAINST APHIDS, WHITEFLY AND NON-TARGET BENEFICIAL INSECTS [DOI]
  20. 20 Biochemical Engineering Aspects of Solid-State Fermentation [DOI]
  21. 21 Interferência da metodologia nos resultados de bioensaios de seleção de fungos entomopatogênicos para o controle de insetos [DOI]
  22. 22 PreFeRal, (Paecilomyces fumosoroseus strain Apopka 97), a new microbial insecticide for the biological control of whiteflies in greenhouses.
  23. 23 Effects of different vegetable oils formulations on temperature tolerance and storage duration of Beauveria bassiana conidia [DOI]
  24. 24 Effect of Different Grains as Solid Substrates on Sporulation, Viability and Pathogenicity of Metarhizium anisopliae (Metschnikoff) Sorokin [DOI]
  25. 25 New Solid-State Fermentation Chamber for Bulk Production of Aerial Conidia of Fungal Biocontrol Agents on Rice [DOI]
  26. 26 Impact of water relations on the production, ecological fitness and stability of the biocontrol fungus Metarhizium anisopliae [DOI]

Cited by 28

Biological Characteristics of Beauveria majiangensis Strain MJ1015 and Optimization of Solid Medium Technology for Sporulation

Xinghong Wang, Zhenxing Huang, Congchun Li · Polish Journal of Microbiology · 2023

Fungal Biopesticides for Agro-Environmental Sustainability

Rajesh Ramdas Waghunde, Chandrashekhar U. Shinde, Puja Pandey · Fungal Biology · 2021

Impact of Beauveria bassiana and Metarhizium anisopliae on the Metabolic Interactions between Cucumber (Cucumis sativus L.) and Cucumber Mosaic Virus (CMV)

Roshan Shaalan, Ludmilla Ibrahim, Falah As-sadi · Horticulturae · 2022

An atoxigenic L‐strain of Aspergillus flavus (Eurotiales : Trichocomaceae ) is pathogenic to the coffee twig borer, Xylosandrus compactus (Coleoptera: Curculionidea: Scolytinae)

Yosia Mukasa, Samuel Kyamanywa, Julius P. Sserumaga · Environmental Microbiology Reports · 2018

Performance of Metarhizium rileyi Nm017: nutritional supplementation to improve production and quality conidia

Cindy Mejía, Jaime Rocha, Johanna Sanabria · 3 Biotech · 2024

Combination of entomopathogenic fungi and insecticides/metabolites in control of insect populations

Shaukat Ali, Inzamam Ul Haq, Muhammad Rehan Akhtar · Entomopathogenic Fungi in Insects · 2026

The comparative virulence of an atoxigenic strain of Aspergillus flavus (Eurotiales: Trichocomaceae) and the commercial ICIPE 69 Metarhizium anisopliae (Hypocreales: Clavicipitaceae) to the bean leaf beetle Ootheca mutabilis (Coleoptera: Chrysomelidae)

Julius Mugonza, Michael H. Otim, James P. Egonyu · International Journal of Tropical Insect Science · 2020

Investigation of Mass Production Performance and Virulence of Some Entomopathogenic Fungal Isolates and Their Single-Spore Strains Against Rhyzopertha dominica

Cebrail Barış · Türk Tarım ve Doğa Bilimleri Dergisi · 2026

Isolation and characterization of Metarhizium anisopliae TK29 and its mycoinsecticide effects against subterranean termite Coptotermes formosanus

Ravindran Keppanan, Sivaramakrishnan Sivaperumal, Luis Carlos Ramos Aguila · Microbial Pathogenesis · 2018

Simulation of static drying and drying with intermittent rotations in a horizontal drum of rice used in the cultivation of Metarhizium anisopliae

Daiane Bortolote Ferreira, Érika Fernanda Rezendes Tada, João Cláudio Thoméo · Chemical Engineering and Processing - Process Intensification · 2025

Showing 10 of 28 known citations — external sources report more than can currently be individually listed.

Related research

Article metrics

Real usage data collected on this platform.

79

Page views

0

PDF downloads

38

Outbound clicks

28

Citations

Views over time

Views by country

Approximate, from request IP at view time — not citizenship or institution. Countries with fewer than 5 views are grouped as "Other".

Traffic sources

Referring site, by host.

Views and downloads exclude known bots/crawlers. Citations combines this platform's own DOI-resolved index with each external source's own reported total — see Cited by above for individually listed citing works. Last refreshed 0 seconds ago.