PRODUCTION OF FUNGAL BIOLOGICAL CONTROL AGENTS THROUGH SOLID STATE FERMENTATION: A CASE STUDY ON PAECILOMYCES LILACINUS AGAINST ROOT-KNOT NEMATODES

Root-knot nematodes cause annual losses of about USD $100 billion worldwide. Development of natural resistance to nematicides by nematodes and the tendency to withdraw chemical pesticides/nematicides from the market led to the search for new methods of control. Biological control of root-knot nematodes with Paecilomyces lilacinus is being investigated thoroughly, but there is a lack of information on the production systems. Solid state fermentation is a suitable ecofriendly biological process for the mass production of biological control agents. Conidiospores produced are cost-effective and show good stability and viability for field applications on a commercial scale. Studies on bioreactor design are essential for scaling up solid-state fermentation processes, but they are scarce yet. We did an in-depth analysis on the production of fungal spores by solid state fermentation for commercial scale application against root-knot nematodes.