First Report on Purpureocillium lilacinum Infection of Indoor-Cultivated Morel Primordia

Segula Masaphy
Additional contact information
Segula Masaphy: Applied Mycology and Microbiology Department, MIGAL-Galilee Research Institute, Kiryat Shmona 11016, Israel

Agriculture, 2022, vol. 12, issue 5, 1-7

Abstract: The cultivation of morel mushrooms ( Morchella spp.) outdoors or in controlled indoor systems is a relatively new practice, and infections are beginning to be observed. Infection of indoor-cultivated Morchella rufobrunnea initials (primordia) occurred at our research facilities in Israel. The mushroom initials turned brown, were covered with a dense white mycelium of a foreign fungus and were disintegrated soon after. The isolation of a fungal contaminant from the infected mushroom revealed small colonies with a pinkish spore zone on potato dextrose agar medium. Molecular identification using partial large subunit 28S ribosomal DNA and rRNA internal transcribed spacer sequences identified the fungus as Purpureocillium lilacinum . Inoculation of Morchella colony on agar plat with the isolated fungus caused browning and inhibition of mycelial growth. Inoculation of a healthy primordium with P. lilacinum spores resulted in its browning and deterioration. This is the first report of an infection of indoor-cultivated mushroom and the first showing P. lilacinum as a pathogen of morels.

Keywords: Morchella; morel; mycoparasite; Purpureocillium lilacinum (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: Q1 Q10 Q11 Q12 Q13 Q14 Q15 Q16 Q17 Q18 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2022
References: View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations:

Downloads: (external link)
https://www.mdpi.com/2077-0472/12/5/695/pdf (application/pdf)
https://www.mdpi.com/2077-0472/12/5/695/ (text/html)

Related works:
This item may be available elsewhere in EconPapers: Search for items with the same title.

Export reference: BibTeX RIS (EndNote, ProCite, RefMan) HTML/Text

Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:gam:jagris:v:12:y:2022:i:5:p:695-:d:815624

Access Statistics for this article

Agriculture is currently edited by Ms. Leda Xuan

More articles in Agriculture from MDPI
Bibliographic data for series maintained by MDPI Indexing Manager ().