• Mycobiology
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• v.40 no.2
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• pp.100-106
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• 2012

Interest in commercial cultivation and product development of Cordyceps species has shown a recent increase. Due to its biochemical and pharmacological effects, Cordyceps militaris, commonly known as orange caterpillar fungus, is being investigated with great interest. Cultivation of C. militaris has been practiced on a large scale in order to fulfill a demand for scientific investigation and product development. Isolates of C. militaris can be easily established from both spores and tissue. For isolation of spores, ascospores released from mature stromata are trapped in sterile medium. Multi-ascospore isolates, as well as combinations of single ascospore strains, are used for production of fruiting bodies. Progeny ascospore strains can be isolated from artificial fruiting bodies, thus, the cycle of fruiting body production can be continued for a long period of time. In this study, we examined fruiting body production from multi-ascospore isolates and their progeny strains for three generations. $F_1$ progeny strains generally produced a larger number of fruiting bodies, compared with their mother multi-ascospore isolates; however, $F_2$ and $F_3$ progeny strains produced fewer fruiting bodies. Optimum preservation conditions could help to increase the vitality of the progeny strains. In order to retain the fruiting ability of the strains, further testing of various methods of preservation and different methods for isolation should be performed.

• Mycobiology
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• v.38 no.4
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• pp.282-285
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• 2010

Cordyceps cardinalis successfully produced its fruiting bodies from multi-ascospore isolates. However, subcultures of multiascospore isolates could not produce fruiting bodies after few generations. Fruiting body production also differed from sector to sector of the same isolate. Single ascospore isolates were then co-inoculated in combinations of two to observe the fruiting characteristics. Combinations of certain isolates produced perithecial stromata formation, whereas other combinations did not produce any fruiting bodies. These results show that C. cardinalis is a heterothallic fungus, requiring two isolates of opposite mating types for fruiting body production. It was also shown that single ascospore isolates are hermaphrodites.

• Mycobiology
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• v.34 no.4
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• pp.196-199
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• 2006

Effects of various preservation periods and subcultures on fruiting body formation of Cordyceps militaris were investigated using EFCC C-10995 single ascospore strains. Fruiting body formation by original strains was profuse when preserved at $4^{\circ}C$ for $5{\sim}6$ months. Fruiting from subcultures was stable till second to sixth subcultures, after which it decreased sharply. The more the colony color of subcultures changed, the less the fruiting bodies formed. Liquid inoculum preparation of single ascospore strains in the same or separate broths did not affect fruiting body formation. Similarly, two strains C-10995-3 and C-10995-6 in different numbers during liquid inoculum preparation produced similar fruiting bodies.

• The Plant Pathology Journal
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• v.19 no.3
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• pp.152-158
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• 2003

Stromata of the white root rot fungus, Rosellinia necatrix, were produced on diseased roots although they were reported to develop rarely in nature. Forty-two (42) out of 47 samples produced synnemata while 23 developed stromata. Forty-seven (47) isolates obtained from diseased root samples were divided into 24 mycelium compatibility groups (MCGs). Sixteen (16) out of 24 MCGs produced stromata. Single ascospore isolates from 10 stroma samples produced dsRNA-containing isolates from diseased tissue beneath stromata. The frequency of synnema production on axenic culture varied among isolates with different origin. The dsRNA was not transmitted vertically to the ascospore offspring despite the infection of various dsRNA in the parental isolates. The dsRNA was absent in 35 ascospore isolates in two stroma samples that originated from the isolates, in which dsRNA was not eliminated by hyphal tip isolation. Consequently, sexual reproduction in the white root rot fungus was suggested to produce propagules as a new infection source and to have the function to eliminate infectious factors such as mycoviruses.

• Mycobiology
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• v.33 no.4
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• pp.178-181
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• 2005

Cordyceps militaris specimens were continuously collected by Entomopathogenic Fungal Culture Collection (EFCC), Kangwon National University from different mountains, national parks and recreation parks of Korea from 1986 to 2002, mainly from late May to October of each year. Dry specimens of C. militaris along with their isolates have been preserved in EFCC. Fruiting of C. militaris was induced from single ascospore isolates as well as their combinations in brown rice medium. Fruiting experiments showed that combinations of single ascospore isolates produced fertile fruiting bodies, but single isolates could not produce any fruiting bodies. It was shown that two isolates of the opposite mating types were required to produce fertile stromata. However, combinations of the same mating type isolates produced no fruiting body, showing that C. militaris is a bipolar, heterothallic fungus.

• Journal of Mushroom
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• v.7 no.4
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• pp.182-186
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• 2009

Single ascospores was isolated in Yesan-gun, Chungnam in 2006 with Cordyceps militaris. This study was carried out to select the superior isolates which produce more fruiting body and contain more cordycepin contents. Five single ascospore isolates were cultured on brown rice pupae medium and they formed fruiting bodies. To select better isolates, each isolates was hybridized and then the characteristics and cordycepin contents were investigated. After biological efficiency and codycepin contents were examined, finally C0601S05 was selected. Top-cross test of isolate C0601S05 was carried with 29 single ascospores. From this test, isolate C0601S05${\times}$C0601S33 and isolate C0601S05${\times}$C0601S43 containing highest cordycepin contents were selected. Codycepin contents of C0601S05 was 246mg% and those of C0601S05${\times}$C0601S33 and C0601S05${\times}$C0601S43 were 325mg% and 280mg%, respectively. C0601S05${\times}$C0601S33 was registered as Yedang 3 at the Korea seed & variety service.

• The Korean Journal of Mycology
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• v.27 no.4 s.91
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• pp.256-273
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• 1999

Seventy two isolates of Cordyceps militaris collected from 11 sites in Korea, including two isolates from ATCC, were used to assess genetic variation within Cordyceps militaris. The anamorph stage and cultural characteristics of C. militaris were observed through microscope and investigated on PDA respectively. The anamorphs of C. militaris were identified to be Verticillium. Isolates of C. militaris showed different growth rates, morphology and color. Fifty six isolates of single ascospore and seventy two isolates of mass ascospore from C. militaris were analysed using by Random Amplified Polymorphic DNA (RAPD) for genetic relationship analysis. Fifty six single ascospore isolates fell into two groups by phenogram constructed from distance values using the UPGMA method in NTSYS-pc software: group A from artificial fruit body of C18 except for isolate 51; group B from artificial fruit body of C738. The average genetic distance value within group A is 0.150 and group B is 0.163. The average genetic distance value between the two groups is 0.221. The average genetic distance value within 56 single ascospores is 0.207 and 72 mass ascospores is 0.330. Genetic relationships were not found among 72 mass ascospore isolates obtained from eleven geographically distant populations.

• Mycobiology
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• v.35 no.4
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• pp.230-234
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• 2007

In order to breed a Cordyceps bassiana isolate that stably forms fruiting body in artificial cultivation, isolates derived from subculturing and single spores were tested through mating. From C. bassiana EFCC 783, three subcultured isolates EFCC 2830, EFCC 2831 and EFCC 2832 were obtained and fourteen single conidial isolates were obtained from these three subcultured isolates. Two different morphological types were found in the fourteen single conidial isolates. One type was able to form synnemata and another type was not able to form synnemata. Since switch of morphological type was not observed despite their continuous subculturing, cross was performed between the two types and the formation of fruiting body was examined. Ascospores were obtained from a selected fruiting body formed by hybrid of the cross. Self-cross and combinational cross of the ascospore-derived isolates generated hybrids that stably produce high quality fruiting body in artificial media.

• Mycobiology
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• v.38 no.2
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• pp.118-121
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• 2010

Single ascospore isolates of Cordyceps bassiana were observed for their colony pigmentation on Sabouraud Dextrose agar plus Yeast Extract (SDAY) plates and were inoculated in a brown rice medium for production of fruiting bodies. Colony pigmentation did not show any relationship with perithecial stromata formation. The isolates were also grown on opposite sides of SDAY agar plates and were observed for vegetative compatibility. Neither vegetative compatibility nor perithecial stromata could be found to be related to each other. It was concluded that fertile fruiting body production was independent of colony pigmentation and vegetative compatibility. Synnemata formation was found to be more common than perithecial stromata formation. This might be due to its highly conidiogenous anamorphic stage, i.e., Beauveria bassiana.

• Mycobiology
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• v.34 no.3
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• pp.131-137
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• 2006

In vitro fruiting bodies were produced from ten different isolates of Condyceps militaris EFCC C-5736, EFCC C-5941, EFCC C-5976, EFCC C-6040, EFCC C-6849, EFCC C-7268, EFCC C-7342, EFCC C-7992, EFCC C-8027 and EFCC C-8549. Single ascospores were isolated from in vitro grown fruiting bodies and used for fruiting body production in brown rice medium by both intra-strain crossing and out-crossing. Length and dry wt. of stromata grown in vitro were measured. Strains producing highest dry wt. of stromata were selected. Both intra-strain crossings and inter-strain crossings of single ascospore strains were found to produce profuse fruiting bodies of C. militaris.