Producing Fungal Spores to Control Coffee Berry Borer
Author Information
Author(s): Francisco J Posada-Flórez
Primary Institution: Centro Nacional de Investigaciones de Café (Cenicafé)
Hypothesis
Can Beauveria bassiana spores be effectively produced on rice to control the coffee berry borer in Colombia?
Conclusion
The study found that while the production of Beauveria bassiana spores on rice is feasible, the yield is low and not suitable for industrial applications.
Supporting Evidence
- Spore productivity was less than 1×10^10 spores/g.
- Germination rates were over 75% at 24 hours.
- Pathogenicity against the coffee berry borer was over 92.5%.
Takeaway
Scientists grew a fungus on rice to make spores that can kill a bug that harms coffee plants, but they found it’s hard to make enough spores for big farms.
Methodology
Two isolates of Beauveria bassiana were grown on cooked rice using diphasic liquid-solid fermentation, and spores were harvested and analyzed for quality.
Limitations
The production method is not suitable for industrial scale due to low spore yield and high substrate requirements.
Statistical Information
P-Value
0.0001
Statistical Significance
p<0.05
Digital Object Identifier (DOI)
Want to read the original?
Access the complete publication on the publisher's website