ECOLOGICAL STUDIES ON TILE SYMBIOSIS OF TER ITOMYCES ...

(1) Substances appearino to be unsuitable
Mannitol at 59 101 30 and 50 01-1 Increased the radial growth
of Termit2aces-compared to the control
(Table 3--l-3)o The growth
was less dense with sparser mycellum and iso the total production of
mycellum on mannitol, was probably not increasede Abo-Khatwa (1977)
found that only agar media containing 30 Ul"I of D-mannitol, was able
to support monocultures of Termitomyces* He found that Inclusion of
other sugars In the agar media resulted In the growth of a variety of
contaminating fungiq whereas the inclusion of mannitol, prevented these
growing& This result was not borne out here where mannitol at all the
concentrations tested did not inhibit the growth of any of the
contaminating fungi. In fact in many cases the presence of mannitol
stimulated the growth of Aspergillus niner and the Penicillium species*
Mannitol was therefore considered to be no Improvement on glucose an a
carbon source and was rejected*
Other fungi do not grow on the undisturbed fungus comb In the
nest (5.6), but the incorpomtion of fungus comb into the medium In
place of glucoses or simply added to agarg did not1revent or reduce
the growth of any of the contaminating fungis Whatever prevents the
growth of the contaminating fungi Is destroyed by the action of auto-
claving or just simply the rmoval of the comb from the nest system*
Datra and Batra (1979) showed that growth of Termitmyces albuminosus
was reduced on the fungus garden filtrate and residue compared to
their basal medium and vitamin mixturee Petch (1906)
obtained
germination of mycotle'tes In comb extract than In water but he wan
unable to extend the growth beyond 3 to 4 days due to bacterial
contamination-
better
900