Author
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Farr, David |
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Paul, Brenda |
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Submitted to: Inoculum
Publication Type: Other Publication Acceptance Date: 3/15/2001 Publication Date: N/A Citation: N/A Interpretive Summary: Fungi are often maintained over long periods of time as living germplasm for research and development. Efficient, cost-effective means of storing fungi are needed to ensure their survival for future use. This article reports the techniques used at the Systematic Botany and Mycology Laboratory to maintain the living fungal cultures for research on the systematics of agriculturally important fungi. Living fungi are stored on low-nutrient agar tubes in a cold room as well as in small cryovials in glycerol and water. Also reported are techniques for reviving cultures that appear to be dead and decontaminating cultures that are infected with bacteria. Scientists throughout the world who need to maintain fungi as living cultures at a low cost will use these practical techniques. Technical Abstract: Protocols for handling fungal cultures are reported that are useful for long-term storage as well as for reviving apparently dead fungi and decontaminating those that are infected with bacteria. Routinely fungi are stored in agar tubes and cryovials with 20:80 glycerol:distilled water at 4 C. Voucher specimens are made by inoculating alfalfa stems on water agar observing for up to 3 mo. Cultures are decontaminated by placing agar plugs in an antibiotic solution. Dried up cultures can often be revived by placing the entire plug in potato dextrose broth at 25 C. |
