A method to promote sporulation in palm endophytic fungi

A method to promote sporulation in palm endophytic fungi is introduced. Mycelia sterilia isolated from the palm Livistona chinensis were inoculated into flasks containing malt extract agar and a sterilised petiole fragment of palm Livistona chinensis. Flasks were then incubated under 12 h alternating near UV-light and darkness. After three months, some isolates formed fruiting bodies on the surface of petioles. Some endophytic mycelia sterilia can be identified using this method. A comparison of this method with more conventional methods is also presented. incubation of discs cut from plant tissue on agar and isolation of endophytes which grow out; and (iii) identification of the sporulating cultures by traditional methods. Many endophytes isolated from plant tissues sporulate on different artificial media, under different cultural conditions. Many, however, will not sporulate and are known as mycelia sterilia, and cannot be identified. Petrini, Stone and Carroll (1982) reported that approximately 15 % of endophytes isolated from evergreen shrubs in western Oregon did not sporulate. Espinosa­ Garcia and Langenheim (1990) found that about 26.9 % of endophytes isolated from coastal redwood trees were mycelia sterilia. Fisher et al. (1994) pointed out that there were various isolation frequencies of mycelia sterilia from Quercus ilex from different sites and different tissues. Eighteen percent of endophyte isolates from leaves in Switzerland were mycelia sterilia, while 17.5 % were isolated from leaves in Spain. An even higher frequency of mycelia sterilia (41.3 %) were isolated from twigs of Q. ilex in Switzerland. Fr6Wich (pers. comm.) found that 12.9 % of endophytes isolated from the palm Licuala sp. were mycelia sterilia, while Taylor (pers. comm.) found about 11.2 % of endophytes isolated from palm Trachycarpus fortunei were mycelia sterilia. It is therefore extremely important that methods are developed to promote sporulation of