Malachite green agar, a new selective medium for Fusarium spp.

Abstract

Malachite Green Agar 2.5 ppm (MGA 2.5) is a potent selective medium for isolation and enumeration of Fusarium spp. It has been tested with pure and mixed cultures as well as in naturally contaminated samples. The recoveries of Fusarium species in MGA 2.5 were the same as the recoveries obtained in Nash and Snyder medium. However, this medium is a more selective culture medium for Fusarium spp. than Nash and Snyder medium, because it does not allow the development of colonies belonging to other fungal genera. MGA 2.5 is simple to prepare and less hazardous than other Fusarium selective media containing pentachloronitrobenzene (PCNB).