Low-cost Substrate for Spore Production of Nematophagous Fungi

摘要

Root-knot disease caused by Meloidogyne incognita is a matter of grave concern as it affects several crop plants. The potential of Paecilomyces lilacinus as a biocontrol agent has been found to be equivalent to any commonly used nematicide. The use ofsolid state fermentation may allow the elaboration of formulations with fungi that are employed in the control ofnematodes. Aiming to select a low-cost substrate for spore production of Paecilomyces lilacinus, coffee husks, cassava bagasse and defattedsoybean cake were utilized as substrates, and sugar-cane bagasse was used as a support. The products obtained by SSF were evaluated for their nematicide activity in pot experiments containing the plant Coleus blumei inoculated with M. incognita. The plants were evaluated 2 months after inoculation. All biocomposts showed a reduction in the number of nematodes, this being 80%, for coffee husks, around 60% for cassava bagasse and almost 100% for defatted soybean cake.