Aspects of Teliospore Germination in Some North American Smut Fungi. I.

Abstract

SUMMARYThe high germinability of some of the species studied suggests that others in which germination has not been attempted or demonstrated may be equally germinable. Attempts to germinate some species, however, have been unsuccessful.Chilling was required to trigger germination in northern collections of some species, but not in others. Early attempts to germinate fresh teliospores mostly resulted in meager or no germination in species later shown to require chilling. After breaking dormancy by chilling, teliospores germinated readily at room temperature. Chilling was not required to germinate southern collections.Compounds reported to stimulate or trigger spore germination in other fungi and slime molds were generally ineffective.Teliospore germination was demonstrated and/or corroborated in a number of smut fungi from western United States.