A SIMPLE DESCRIPTIVE MODEL OF FILAMENTOUS FUNGI SPORE GERMINATION

A simple statistical model is presented to describe the germination ki netics of filamentous fungal spore populations grown either in soluble or on solid substrates. The model attempts to reduce large amounts of data to three parameters of relevant physiological significance: one related to the maximum proportion of germination in a spore population , another related to the kinetics of the process, and another - the sy nchronization factor - that measures the extent of synchronization in the population of germinating spores. The latter is a very important p arameter, which is introduced for the first time in a model of spore g ermination, and which, together with the other two, would be considere d in relation to filamentous fungal fermentations in physiological and technological studies. These parameters were estimated by the Maximum Likelihood method. The fit of our experimental data, together with as sociated data reported in the literature indicated the validity of the model for the description of the time course of germination for a lar ge variety of strains grown under different physical and chemical envi ronmental conditions.