A Selective Medium for the Isolation of Basidiomycetes

Abstract

IN the course of a programme of work involving the isolation of wood-rotting fungi from infected Scandinavian wood-pulp, considerable trouble was experienced with rapidly spreading mould contaminants, particularly Trichoderma viride ¹. In many cases, attempts to isolate Basidiomycetes from stains known to be caused by these fungi failed, due not only to the growth of Trichoderma which in a short time covered the surface of the malt agar medium, but doubtless also to secretion of the antibiotics viridin and gliotoxin by this mould, which are active against many fungi². Experiments have shown that Trichoderma isolated from wood-pulp is able to retard, and in some cases prevent, the growth in artificial culture of various Basidiomycetes.