The fungus Metarhizium anisopliae var. major is highly effective in controlling the rhinoceros beetle, Oryctes rhinoceros. It has been mass produced and formulated into a powder bio insecticide (Ramle et al., 2006), and field application of it to rotting oil palm residues significantly reduced the larvae, pre-pupa and pupae populations of the insect (Ramle et al., 2007). But the powder is applied as a solution, an inconvenience where there is no water. As an alternative, formulating the fungus as granules was studied – as alginate granules, incorporating a nutrient carrier to ‘kick-start’ the fungal growth on application for earlier sporulation. The alginate granules can be prepared using the mycelium or spores of the fungus, or mycelium and spores together (Fravel et al., 1995).

Main Research: Ramle Moslim