Effect of different solid substrate (grains) and broth medium on yield and biomass production of pharmaceutical important fungus (Cordyceps militaris L.)

Around the world, numerous mushrooms are possessing medicinal properties, and Cordyceps militaris L. is a notable entomopathogenic fungus with pharmaceutical importance due to the presence of an antibiotic cordycepin.This compound contributes to its status as one of the most expensive mushrooms due to its high demand in the pharmaceutical industry globally.C. militaris naturally grows only on insects, but now it can be artificially cultivated on solid substrates such as grains.The present study was conducted on the artificial cultivation of C. militaris using solid substrates like wheat, maize, sorghum, bajra, brown rice and white rice, for this purpose, while seven different broths media were used to radial growth and mycelium dry weight, respectively.Among the solid substrate, bajra and sorghum were found to be superior in terms of yield and height of fruiting body.The highest number of fruiting bodies were observed in sorghum grains (35.00 fruiting bodies), followed by brown rice (30.75 fruiting bodies), wheat grains (27.00 fruiting bodies), bajra grains (26.75 fruiting bodies), white rice (26.25 fruiting bodies), maize grains (12.50 fruiting bodies) in decreasing order across the respective treatments.Sorghum grains provide a nutrient-rich substrate that supports for rapid mycelial growth and fruiting.Among the seven different media and broths, sorghum extract agar media was found to be the best for redial growth in six out of seven media, while maize dextrose broth was observed to be superior for mycelium dry weight in six out of seven broths media.