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ARS Home » Southeast Area » New Orleans, Louisiana » Southern Regional Research Center » Commodity Utilization Research » Research » Publications at this Location » Publication #92468
Title: SOLID-STATE FERMENTATION PLUS EXTRACTION TO MAKE BIOPESTICIDE GRANULES

Author
item Daigle, Donald
item Connick Jr, William
item Boyette, Clyde
item Jackson, Mark
item Dorner, Joe

Submitted to: Biotechniques
Publication Type: Peer Reviewed Journal
Publication Acceptance Date: 10/10/1998
Publication Date: N/A
Citation: N/A

Interpretive Summary: The subject of this paper pertains to the rapidly-progressing field of biocontrol agent formulations, specifically, the preparation of a product (granules) for application. Solid-state fermentation of the biocontrol agent was combined innovately with extrusion. This new methodology resulted in improvement of the biocontrol agent's survival and because the most expensive part of a biocontrol product is the biocontrol agent, this association of solid-state fermentation and extrusion has economic impact and should be of commercial interest. This research will benefit the farmers and the herbicide industries.

Technical Abstract: Five fungal biocontrol agents useful in agriculture were grown on rice flour in plastic bags. The flour, infested with conidia and/or mycelia, was mixed with wheat flour, kaolin, and water and extruded into granules. The inoculum survived extrusion and fluid bed drying at 50C 3-92 times better than inoculum produced in liquid fermentation. Depending on the agent, the high level of flour infestation permitted a 1:9 to 1:1600 dilution to yield the 1x106 colony forming units (cfu)/g in the final product which is usually needed for biocontrol efficacy.