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Abstract
The present study was carried out to investigate morphological characteristics of pseudosclerotia of Grifola umbellata formed by artificial cultures. Isolate G. umbellata DUM GUS-01 was obtained from sclerotium cultivated in field. The fungal isolate was cultured on PDYM broth, PDYMA (potato dextrose yeast malt agar) and oak sawdust media at 20°C under the dark condition. G. umbellata DUM GUS-01 showed a volumetric increment of fungal lumps rather than mycelial growth. Particularly, G. umbellata DUM GUS-01 produced a large amount of melanin pigments in all culture treatments. The color of the fungal mass has been changed into grey gradually, and then formed melanized rind-like structure on its superficial part. The fungal structures which were covered with melanized rind-like layer were named as pseudosclerotia of G. umbellata. The pseudosclerotia of G. umbellata DUM GUS-01 formed a new white mycelial mass, which was swollen out of the melanized rind structure for its volumetric increment. When the pseudosclerotia were sectioned, their structure was discriminated from two structures such as a melanized rind-like structure layer formed by aggregation of aged mycelia and a white mycelial mass with high density. As results of scanning electron microscopic examination, the pseudosclerotia of G. umbellata DUM GUS-01 which were formed in in vitro conditions were similar to the sclerotia of G. umbellata cultivated in natural conditions except for the crystals formed in medula layer of natural sclerotia. Although size, solidity of rind structure and mycelial compactness of pseudosclerotia were more poor than those of natural sclerotia, the morphological structure and growth pattern of pseudosclerotia were very similar to those of natural sclerotia. Therefore, it is probable to induce pseudosclerotia to sclerotia of G. umbellata in in vitro conditions. Consequently, it seems that the induced pseudosclerotia can be used as inoculum sources to substitute natural sclerotia in field cultivation.