Storage of Dothistroma septosporum cultures

Culture collections are invaluable resources for supporting current and future research activities on plant pathogens. Reliable culture storage (preservation) methods are required for these collections. To determine what methods of storage were most reliable for the pine-needle pathogen Dothistroma septosporum, six widely available methods for the storage of fungi were compared: agar slopes at 4°C; slopes at −20°C, mycelial plugs under sterile reverse osmosis (RO) water at 4°C, mycelial plugs under sterile mineral oil at 4°C, uncovered mycelial plugs at 4°C and mycelial plugs under sterile 10% glycerol at −80°C. Revival of cultures was assessed after 12 and 21 months. Storage of mycelial plugs under sterile RO water at 4°C and under glycerol at −80°C both had 100% culture revival at both time points and are therefore recommended for future use. The four remaining methods had revival rates below 70% at 12 months.