A novel two-stage cultivation method to optimize carbon concentration and carbon-to-nitrogen ratio for sporulation of biocontrol fungi.

A two-stage solid cultivation method was used to determine the precise requirements of carbon concentration (1-16 g/L) and C: N ratio (0.625: 1 to 80: 1) for the sporulation of six biocontrol fungi. The C concentration and C: N ratio producing the highest conidia yield were 1 g/L and 5: 1 for Paecilomyces lilacinus IPC-P; 2 g/L and 10: 1 for P. lilacinus M-14; 16 g/L and 80: 1 for Metarhizium anisopliae SQZ-1-21; 4 g/L and 5: 1 for M. anisopliae RS-4-1 and Lecanicillium lecanii CA-1-G; and 2 g/L and 10: 1 for Trichoderma viride TV-1. Sporulation was more affected by C: N ratio than by C and N concentration per se. More spores per colony were produced by the two-stage method than by a conventional, single-stage cultivation method. These results should be useful for improving the mass production of these biocontrol agents.