Revival of saprotrophic and mycorrhizal basidiomycete cultures from cold storage in sterile water

Vegetatively colonized agar cores of 135 basidiomycete isolates, representing 83 species in 38 genera, were stored at 5 °C in tubes of sterile distilled water. Viability, based on growth at room temperature, was determined after storage periods ranging from 3 to 48 months. Thirty-seven isolates of saprotrophic fungi represented 32 species of 22 genera; 98 isolates of mycorrhizal fungi represented 51 species of 16 genera. Most isolates of saprotrophic species were viable, even after the most extended periods of storage. Many isolates of mycorrhizal species demonstrated lower viability, especially over longer periods of storage. Among our isolates of mycorrhizal fungi, Laccaria bicolor (seven isolates) and Laccaria laccata (nine isolates) appeared well suited to this method of long-term storage, whereas Scleroderma species (22 isolates) did not.Key words: culture maintenance, culture viability, fungal preservation, long-term storage, vegetative cultures.