Environmental and Nutritional Factors Influencing Growth and Fructification of Pistillaria Micans

Abstract

Growth for Pistillaria micans was greatest at 25˚C while maximum and minimum temperatures for vegetative growth were about 30°and 10° respective1y. Under slightly anaerobic conditions, the optimum temperature was somewhere between 15˚C and 20˚C. Changing the photoperiod (continuous dark or alternating light/dark) after 8 days did not produce changes in growth. Relative humidity had little or no effect on growth or reproduction. Pistillaria micans was unable to tolerate acidic conditions and growth was favored neutral to alkaline conditions (pH 7.1-7.5). Light was inhibitory to fruit body production and a minimum of 48 hours in continuous darkness was required tor basidiocarp development. Fruit body production was specifically inhibited in the blue region (395 nm). When the blue light region was omitted, (as in red light, in NUV light, and in dark treatments), fruit body production was stimulated in the-near-ultraviolet region (313 nm). Growth occurred when dextrose, fructose, sucrose, galactose, soluble starch, cellulose was the sole carbon source. The best growth occurred when sucrose was the sole carbon source while growth on galactose was significantly poor. No growth occurred when ammonium sulfate or potassium nitrate was the sole nitrogen source, while growth was slight on asparagine and glycine. Casein hydrolysate, urea and peptone were good nitrogen sources. Vegetative growth occurred on the following media: rabbit food agar (RF), corn meal+malt and yeast extract (CMMY), corn meal, oat agar, Hau leaves in agar, V-8, corn meal+yeast extract + dextrose (CMYD), potato dextrose agar (PDA), Blakeslee's malt extract (ME(Bl.)), and Czapek agar. Growth on Difco malt extract was poor. Fruiting was good on RF, CMYD, PDA and Hau leaves and to a lesser extent on ME (Bl.), and CM. Pistillaria micans on PDA produced a few aborted basidiocarps while on ME (Bl.), they were more abundant. P. micans on Czapek agar produced synnemata instead of basidiocarps. Growth was stimulated when thiamine was added to the culture media. The combination of thiamine with biotin, pyridoxine or inositol increased vegetative growth.