HEAT-RESISTANCE OF FUNGI FROM SOIL

The survival of fungi from soil samples has been investigated after ex posure to temperatures of 60, 70, 80 and 90-degrees-C in Sabouraud aga r. The least resistant fungi surviving 60-degrees-C for 60 min were th e Aspergillus (A.) niger group, Chaetomium spp, Penicillium spp, and S cytalidium lignicola. None of these survived 70-degrees-C for 10 min. The next group surviving 70-degrees-C for 60 min included the A. glauc us group, Byssochlamys nivea, Dichotomomyces cejpii, Gelasmospora spp, Rhizoctonium spp, and Talaromyces flavus; they did not survive 80-deg rees-C for 10 min. At 80-degrees-C for 60 min, survival was seen for A spergillus fumigatus, Aspergillus nidulans, Eupenicillium baarnense an d Ulocladium spp; they did not survive 10 min at 90-degrees-C. Acremon ium sclerotigenum, Aspergillus ochraceus, Botryotrichum piluliferum, B yssochlamys fulva, Gilmaniella humicola, Neosartorya fischeri, Nodulis porium sp. and Talaromyces avellaneus survived heat treatment at 90-de grees-C for 10 min and longer time with the two last being the most re sistant. The phenomen of activation of dormant spores by thermal shock was not apparent.