Production of Aerial Conidia of Lecanicillium lecanii 41185 by Solid-State Fermentation for Use as a Mycoinsecticide

The production of aerial conidia of Lecanicillium lecanii 41185, a highly virulent fungus, by solid-state fermentation was studied for use as a biocontrol agent against aphids. Among several agro-industrial solid media, steamed polished rice was found to produce the highest amount of aerial conidia. The optimal conditions for aerial conidia production were determined to be a 28.5% moisture content in the rice, 25℃ culture temperature, rice pH of 6.0, 75% ambient relative humidity, 4-dold seeding culture, 0.6% KNO3, and 12 d of culture time. The conidia yield increased from 5.7 × 10(9) conidia/g polished rice to 18.2 × 10(9) conidia/g polished rice following application of these optimized conditions.