Mycelial Growth of Paecilomyces hepiali in Various Agar Media and Yield of Fruit Bodies in Rice Based Media

Growth of ”Paecilomyces hepiali” in various agar media and yield of fruit bodies in rice based media were studied. The best growth in agar media was obtained at 25°C (61.86 mm colony diameter in 14 days). The initial agar media pH range from 6 to 8 was found to be the most favourable for mycelial growth. This study found that agars made with powders of cereal grains alone do not support good mycelial growth of ”P. hepialid”. Addition of peptone improved mycelial growth significantly. The most favourable carbon sources were Mannose, Fructose and Glucose. Organic nitrogen sources were found to be the most preferred. The results demonstrated that brown rice is better than polished rice in yield of fruit bodies. Addition of peptone was found to be quite significant in enhancing yield of fruit bodies. Peptone, as a supplement, gave a better yield than addition of egg yolk, albumen and a mixture of the two. The medium with 40 g brown rice, 0.325 g glucose, 0.65 g sucrose, 2 g peptone and 65 ml corn steep liquor was found to be the most favourable and it yielded 19.3 g of fresh fruit bodies.