Media for conidial production of the entomopathogenic fungus, Fusarium coccophilum (Anamorphic fungi: Phialosporae)

Abstract

Culture media were developed for the mass production of conidia of Fusarium coccophilum, isolated from the scale insect Comstockaspis macroporana. Three isolates were cultured on each of PDA, SDAY and water agar, but none of these produced adequate amounts of conidia for application. Using an isolate F-2965, conidial productions on improved media were compared. Among the 13 media tested, conidial production was poor on nutrient rich media, such as PDA, MEA, CMA and Sabouraud's saccharose agar. Medium No. 4, which consisted of peptone, yeast extract and starch, produced the highest conidial yield, followed by medium No. 3 with half starch and medium No. 1 with saccharose substituted for starch. However, media containing starch as the carbon source were highly viscous and difficult to prepare as agar plates. On the other hand, medium No. 1, which contained saccharose instead of starch, was easy to prepare and conidial yield did not significantly differ with medium No. 3. Thus, medium No. 1 was the most practical and had the highest conidial yield among the media tested, with 3.4×104 conidia/cm2 plate.