MODELING OF SEMI-SOLID FERMENTATION MEDIUM FOR HIGH-YIELD CONIDIA PRODUCTION OF NOMURAEA RILEYI (FARLOW) SAMSON FOR LEPIDOPTERAN PEST CONTROL

Abstract

The systematic literature review investigates Nomuraea rileyi's semi-solid fermentative process, which functions as an entomopathogenic fungus in Lepidopteran pest biocontrol applications. This review combines research conducted from 2020 to 2025 that focuses on maximizing conidia production for commercial use. A systematic review was conducted following PRISMA guidelines, through which researchers retrieved articles using Boolean operators within Scopus, Google Scholar, PubMed, and Web of Science databases. Studies using semi-solid fermentation, which reported quantitative data about conidia yield and viability along with controlled laboratory conditions, met all inclusion criteria. An evaluation process using the Newcastle-Ottawa Scale evaluated the studies to counteract potential biases. The production of conidia reaches its highest levels when scientists use rice materials as their substrate, especially when they work with broken rice and rice bran. The addition of yeast extract boosts conidial production, but implementation faces significant economic barriers due to supplement costs. The optimal conditions for obtaining viable conidial production involved maintaining temperatures between 25-30°C while keeping above 70% relative humidity. The review examines difficulties in large-scale conidial production because of expensive substrates and proposes implementing agricultural waste products to decrease manufacturing expenses. The study further advocates the research work into sustainable fermentation systems by utilizing various substrates, thus developing N. rileyi production at industrial scales for integrated pest management (IPM) applications.