The effective method of fungal strain isolation for the genera Psilocybe and Panaeolus

Abstract:

[Objective] To explore an effective method for accurately getting fungal strain isolates from the genus Psilocybe and Panaeolus. [Methods] Twenty-eight freshly collected fruit bodies were used as study materials. The cultures isolated from gill and basdiospores were identified based on morphology and sequence of ITS rDNA. [Results] Twenty-four isolates (86%) were purified successfully by gill inoculation method and seven (25%) by basidiospore discharge. [Conclusion] Gill is the spore-bearing tissue of agarics, and easy to germinate. Furthermore it is no need to sterilize the surface of the gill for purification in culture medium. This isolation approach may be extended in other groups of the saprophytic fungi characterized by small fruiting body size and thin pileus, similar to these two genera.