Use of by-products rich in carbon and nitrogen as a nutrient source to produce Bacillus thuringiensis (Berliner)-based biopesticide.

The amount and sources of carbon and nitrogen used to produce Bacillus thuringiensis (Berliner)-based biopesticide may influence the quality of the final product. The objective of this research was to test different levels of carbon and nitrogen: medium 1 - 1.5% maize glucose + 0.5% soy flour, medium 2 - 3.0% maize glucose + 1.0% soy flour, medium 3 - 1.0% maize glucose + 3.0% soy flour and medium 4 - Luria Bertani (LB) + salts (FeSO4, ZnSO4, MnSO4, MgSO4). The seed culture was produced in LB medium plus salt, under agitation (200 rpm) for 18h at 30 masculineC. The strain 344 of Bt was used (B. thuringiensis var tolworthi - belonging to the Embrapa's Bt Bank). The pH was measured at regular intervals. and After culturing for 96h, the pH of the four tested media was basified (6.91 and 8.15), the number of spores yielded 4.39 x 10(9) spores/ml in medium 3, where the amount of protein is high. The dry biomass weight accumulated in media 3 was 39.3 g/l. Mortality of 2-day-old larvae Spodoptera frugiperda (J.E. Smith) was 100% when using Bt produced in media 3 and 4. CL50 for medium 3 was 8.4 x 10(6) spores/ml. All tested media were satisfactory to Bt growth, and medium 3 wass the most promising to be used on a large scale Bt-based biopesticide production.