SPOROGENESIS OF THE ENTOMOPATHOGENIC FUNGUS VERTICILLIUM-LECANII IN SOLID-STATE CULTURES

The entomopathogenic fungus Verticillium lecanii was cultivated in dif ferent solid-state cultures using wheat bran, sugar-beet pulp, and mix tures of both. The optimum value of water activity for growth and spor ogenesis was 0.990-0.995. The use of water for medium moistening was m ore efficient in supporting spore formation than the use of dilute Cza pek-Dox mineral medium. The yield of spores (per 1 g of the medium dry matter) was 3.0 x 10(9), 1.6 x 10(9), and 3.2 x 10(9) in the wheat br an medium, sugar-beet medium, and mixed medium, respectively. Conidial germination in soil extract (80 x dilution) was independent of the sp ore origin and was about 43 %.