Fertile sporophore production of Typhula phacorrhiza in the field is related to temperatures near freezing

Abstract

Two field tests and one lab test were conducted to examine the environmental factors affecting sporophore production in Typhula phacorrhiza and to compare these results with those documented for T. ishikariensis and T. incarnata. In the 2001 lab test where lighting, soil moisture, and soil–sand media were tested in 50 mL screw-cap tubes incubated at 4 °C, the limiting factor for Typhula sporophore production was found to be moisture. In the fall 2001 field test, 100 sclerotia of six isolates from three Typhula spp. were placed into pots filled with a sand and soil mixture. The pots were monitored weekly, and maximum sporophore production for all six isolates and for watered and unwatered pots was observed at 11 weeks, which was soon after mean daily temperatures fell below 0 °C. In the second field test in fall 2003, five isolates of the three species were tested with similar procedures, but peak sporophore production was observed after 6 weeks, and again only after mean daily temperatures fell below 0 °C. In the field, sporophore production of T. phacorrhiza seems to require the same environmental cues as those of T. ishikariensis or T. incarnata, namely high moisture and temperatures near freezing.Key words: snow mold, fruiting, basidiocarp, cold.