A new bioprocess to produce low cost powder formulations of biocontrol bacteria and fungi to control fusarial wilt and root-knot nematode of pulses

► A novel biotech process is invented to prepare low cost and high CFU count formulations of biocontrol fungi and bacteria. ► The biocontrol agents were mass cultured on sawdust-soil-molasses mixture and immobilized on fly ash-soil-molasses. ► Formulations contained 108-10 (biocontrol fungi) and 1012-13 CFU (bacteria)/g during 2-12 week at 25 °C or room temperature. ► The 5 g Trichoderma harzianum or Pochonia chlamydosporia formulation/kg seeds controlled wilt and root knot, respectively. ► Pseudomonas fluorescens formulation effectively managed fungus-nematode wilt complex of chickpea and pigeon pea.