Tryptophan supplementation and pH adjustment for optimizing the sporulation of Coniothyrium minitans

Abstract

To determine the effect of tryptophan and pH on sporulation of Coniothyrium minitans, the fungus was cultivated using a two-stage, agar plate method in which addition of tryptophan and pH were controlled at the sporulation stage. The spore yield was enhanced by 4 times with 0.1 g tryptophan/l addition after 72 h. The optimal pH values were 4 for mycelia growth and 5.8-6 for sporulation. Mycelia grown at pH 6 had a higher productivity of spore production than did those grown at pH 4.

Phosphoribosylamidotransferase, the first enzyme for purine de novo synthesis, is required for conidiation in the sclerotial mycoparasite Coniothyrium minitans

“…minitans produces numerous conidia in pycnidia, an asexual spore producing structure of ascomycetous fungi, usually spherical or inversely pearshaped. Research on conidial production of C. minitans has focused on the choice of substrates and environmental factors (such as water content of substrates, temperature, aerial condition, and pH value) (de Vrije et al, 2001;Shi et al, 2008). Understanding conidiation mechanisms at a molecular level may help us to efficiently produce conidia of C. minitans.…”