Berfin KILINÇ1 ,
Mehmet Ertuğrul GÜLDÜR2 ,
Murat DİKİLİTAŞ2
1 Kırıkkale Üniversitesi, Delice Meslek Yüksekokulu, Bitkisel ve Hayvansal Üretim Bölümü, Kırıkkale, Türkiye
2 Harran Üniversitesi, Ziraat Fakültesi, Bitki Koruma Bölümü, Şanlıurfa, Türkiye
Abstract
Fungal cultures maintained under laboratory conditions may suffer severe damage due to contaminations caused by fungivorous mites, which can result in the loss of valuable isolates. The aim of this study was to develop a practical decontamination method for eliminating fungivorous mites from fungal cultures in Petri dishes while preserving fungal viability and culture integrity. The study was conducted on Alternaria alternata cultures naturally contaminated with fungivorous mites, and the effects of low-temperature treatments on mite elimination were evaluated. Contaminated mycelial discs were incubated at −20 °C for different durations under conditions with or without 30% glycerol and subsequently transferred to potato dextrose agar (PDA) media with or without antibiotics. Mite viability, fungal mycelial growth, and bacterial contamination were monitored using stereomicroscopy. The results showed that mite viability gradually decreased with increasing exposure time at −20 °C. In antibiotic-supplemented glycerol treatments, mite presence was completely eliminated after 2.5 h, whereas in antibiotic-supplemented frozen mycelium treatments, complete elimination was achieved after 3 h. In non-antibiotic treatments, mite elimination occurred after 3–3.5 h. Glycerol application contributed to the preservation of fungal mycelial viability under low-temperature conditions, while antibiotic-supplemented media effectively suppressed secondary bacterial contamination. In conclusion, short-term freezing treatment supported by glycerol was demonstrated to be an effective and practical method for eliminating fungivorous mite contamination in fungal cultures under laboratory conditions.
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Mehmet Ertuğrul GÜLDÜR2