Background:

Hirsutella citriformis grows and germinates slowly and produces few conidia with respect to other entomopathogenic fungi. These traits hinder its potential use as a pest biological control agent.

Objective:

Evaluate effects on H. citriformis mycelial growth, spore production and germination from different vegetable and animal protein sources, alone or in combination with commercial media, as well as nitrogen sources and surfactants.

Methods:

Mycelial growth and conidia production were evaluated in potato dextrose agar (PDA), Sabouraud dextrose agar (SDA), and media based on soybean, quinoa, lentil and commercial canned tuna. Spore germination was evaluated in water, yeast extract, commercial yeast, sodium nitrate and two surfactants.

Results and conclusions:

Radial growth of H. citriformis in synthetic media was higher than the rest of the treatments and the highest spore production occurred in agar with quinoa. The combination of PDA with quinoa infusion produced the largest number of spores. Yeast extract increased germination by 54 % with respect to the control in water, which was also superior to the use of NaNO3 and surfactants. Minor concentrations of yeast extract decreased spore germination. Quinoa improved H. citriformis conidia production and yeast extract its conidia germination.

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