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

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 × 10⁸ conidia/g), on the 25th day for the fungus. This was followed by crushed bajra with 1% yeast extract (22.89 × 10⁸ conidia/g), crushed sorghum with 1% yeast extract (12.54 × 10⁸ conidia/g), and crushed maize with 1% yeast extract (7.57 × 10⁸ conidia/g). In contrast, Crushed fox tail millet with 1% yeast extract yielded the lowest conidial production on the 25th day (5.86 × 10⁸ conidia/g). Conidial production showed an increasing trend from the 6th to the 25^th 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.