ABSTRACT
The production in large scale of Metarhizium anisopliae (Metsch.) Sorokin is done predominantly in solid culture media, using rice grains as substratum. With the goal of determining the production and the viability of different isolates of this fungi, it was placed in polypropilene bags measuring 35 length cm and 22 width cm, containing 100 g of precook rice and immediately sterilized to 120º C, for 30 minutes. After the cooling of the rice, it was inoculated with 1mL of a suspension contening 5.0 x 107 conidia/mL, and carried to the incubation room at the temperature of 25 ± 1 C and 12-hour photophase. The plastic bags contening rice+fungus were incubated for 10 days. After, the rice + fungus was placed in plastic trays to promote conidiogenisis of the fungus, at 25 ± 1º C, 80 ± 10% of RH and 12-hour photophase. The trays were heaped for 4 days, crossing them for 4 more days. The isolates IBCB 348; IBCB 408; IBCB 410 and IBCB 425 produced the most conidia with 2.08 x 108, 1.75 x 108, 2.22 x 108 and 2.30 x 108 conidia/ g of precooked rice, respectively, by the tray method.
KEY WORDS
Insecta; enthomopathogenic fungus; microbial control