Mutants ofPleurotus florida deficient in sporulation

Abstract

Inheritable sporulation-deficient dikaryons were obtained through pairing compatible monokaryons. The morphological character of centralized stipes of sporulation-deficient fruit bodies was remarkable and enable them to be distinguished from sporulating ones. Light and electron microscopy showed neither spores nor sterigmata on the surface of most basidia. However, in rare cases, some basidia, always clustering in a number of a few to tens, had one abortive spore on each basidium. No mature spores were found. Genetic analysis of sporulation deficiency was carried out by test-crosses. Results suggest that sporulation-deficient mutant inP. florida is rather complex and might be controlled by two recessive genes. The recovery of four mating types in spores obtained from the dikaryotic fruit body used for test-crosses, and the presence of four nuclei on the apex of basidia of sporulation-deficient strain indicated that the process of meiosis had occurred in this sporulation-deficient mutant.