Physiological Properties of Six Strains of a Wooddecaying Fungus Hymenochaete crocicreas (I)

Some physiological properties of six strains of Hymenochaete crocicreas Berk. et Br., including the symbiotic germination of Galeola altissima Reich. fil., were investigated. H. crocicreas distributed in the tropical Asia is one of white pocket rot fungi, and G. altissima is a chlorophyll free orchid of which habitat is the south of Tanegashima Island of Japan, Formosa, Malaysia, and India.In the temperature-growth test, 6 isolates of H. crocicreas are divided into two groups due to their growth at high temperature, namely one group grows well at 35°C, but another is reduced their growth. In Bavendamm reaction, all isolates show positive reaction which suggests the presence of polyphenol oxidases. In the germination test, the symbiotic germination takes place with 5 isolates at 23°C and 30°C, and protocorms are larger at 30°C than 23°C except one isolate. Some variation in the ratio of germination and the size of protocorms arise from fungal partners.