Studies on factors influencing the viability of entomopathogenic fungi Metarhizium anisopliae in soil adapting culture dependent method

Abstract

Environmental concerns and health risks associated with the use of synthetic chemical pesticides have stimulated efforts to develop biological control agents for integrated pest management. There are a number of microbial agents in which fungi are of special relevance. The present work is carried out to determine the effect of pH, moisture content, temperature and synthetic pesticides on the colony count of Metarhizium anisopliae in soil under in vitro condition adopting culture dependent methods. Maximum count of fungal colonies was recorded in. pH 7.5, temperature 300C, moisture content 80% and all the tested concentration of synthetic pesticides al lower concentration. Compatibility study clearly revealed the possible utilization of the fungal organism in the biointensive integrated pest management programme.