Evaluation of Culture Media for Biomass Production of Trichoderma viride (KBN 24) and their Production Economics

Abstract

The Genus Trichoderma is of immense importance in agricultural crop protection because of their bio-control potential role against an array of phytopathogens through several modes of action. It is well established with fairly good acceptability, worldwide. The establishment and utilization on a commercial level of any promising isolate may not be successful, unless the cost effective mass production is evident. Present study is aimed at the evaluation of the laboratory media as well as locally available food grains for cost effective mass production of local strain KBN-24 (Trichoderma viride) for large scale adoption. Among different lab media, potato dextrose agar (solid medium) and potato dextrose broth (liquid medium) yielded comparatively more biomass of tested strain of Trichoderma viride. However, among the different grains rice ranked the first which produced the maximum biomass (148.04 gram) followed by wheat (126.87 gram) where as maize produced the least biomass. Similar trends were recorded on the conidial production and colony forming units (CFUs) in case of potato dextrose agar, potato dextrose broth and rice whole grain. Results indicated that the locally available food grains like rice and wheat were comparatively cheaper and serve as convenient substrates for the mass multiplication of Trichoderma viride and their cost economics were also discussed.