2.2. Spore Suspension Preparation

The selected fungal strain P. formosus MD12 was grown on PDA medium and was incubated for two weeks at 25 ± 2 °C under dark. The culture was scraped on the surface of the agar after 14 days, and conidial medium suspension was prepared. It was transferred into sterile double-distilled water containing Tween 80 (0.05%). The mixture of hyphae and spore was stirred for 15 min, and the hyphae were removed after filtration. The concentration of conidia was analyzed using a hemocytometer and maintained at 1 × 10⁶ mL⁻¹. The conidia were diluted appropriately with double-distilled water containing Tween 80 (0.1%, v/v) and stored at 4 °C until required. Analysis of an in vitro nematode test was performed to find the efficacy of selected fungal spores against nematode parasite. The conidia suspension was diluted at various concentrations (1 × 10⁴–1 × 10⁷ CFU mL⁻¹), and the conidia were applied directly to the nematode eggs [3].