Lecanicillium lecanii is a fungus that shows much promise as a biological control agent against plague. To explore this possibility in field conditions conidia would have to be produced in large scale. With this dim, the present study selected substrates that could be used as media for cultivating isolates JAB 02 and JAB 45 from this fungus. Liquid media prepared with agro industrial by-products and residue, and solid media using mixtures of grain and derivates were tested. For liquid media different concentrations of water obtained from cooking rice and from squeezing dry cassava root, besides cheese whey , milhocina®, sugar cane molasses, vinasse and cream yeast from sugar cane milling, were assessed regarding spore production and biomass. Considering solid media, ground wheat, wheat and soy brans with broken corn, lentil seed and sorghum were all combined in different proportions for JAB 02, and with millet seed, wheat grain and lentil seed for JAB 45. These were assessed regarding conidia productivity and viability. The medium containing 4% milhocina® promoted good productivity from both isolates. Regarding JAB 02, the substrates containing 85% water from the squeezed cassava, 5,5% of molasses and 100% cheese whey, besides the mixtures of ground wheat and wheat bran with lentil seed (70:30%) and ground wheat and wheat bran with sorghum (85:15%) produced the best results. The media containing 100% water from the squeezed cassava with 85% cheese whey; and the mixtures of wheat bran plus millet seed (85:15%); ground wheat and lentil seed (55:45%); and wheat bran with wheat grain plus with lentil seed (70:30%) favored productivity in the JAB 45 isolate.
biological control; mass production; liquid substrates; solid substrates
