Basidiospores produced axenically without laborious attention in the laboratory are useful in studies of wood decay initiation. Such spores presumably approach those collected from natural sporophores in size and germinability (Morton, 1964). Production of spores in vitro by inversion of cultures grown on 2% malt extract agar in deep glass dishes (100x80 mm²) has been the preferred method (Morton and French, 1966; Toole, 1971). However, for many decay fungi desired as test organisms, spore production is capricious at best, and variation in onset and duration of sporulation frustrates carefully planned experiments. In an effort to improve reliability of this fast: and simple method of spore production, two approaches to minimize the change in nuclear and/or cytoplasmic factors presumed responsible for loss of sporulation were tried. First, freeze-drying of cultures and success of subculturing was investigated. Secondly, a direct subculture method from sporulating 'donor' cultures was used which attempted to transfer enough diversity within mycelial types to increase the number of replicates sporulating.

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