The Effect of Method of Inoculation of Media on Sporulation of Melanconium Fuligineum

SUMMARY

Cultures of Melanconium fuligineum growing on agar plates inoculated at one point by mycelium or a few spores required 11 to 14 days for sporulation, with the maximum production of approximately 1.2 billion spores per culture occurring after about 20 days. When a concentrated suspension of spores was used to flood the agar plates the formation of spores began within 24 hours and maximum sporulation of approximately 2.5 billion spores per culture occurred within 4 days. In the latter case the first spores were produced on the germ tubes and very young mycelium.

A hypothesis, based on the rapid depletion of nutrients by the multiplicity of growing points, is presented to explain the rapid production of spores following the flooding of agar plates with a heavy spore suspension.