SHORT COMMUNICATION - GARI AS CULTURE-MEDIUM FOR MOLDS

No significant differences (P < 0.05) occurred in the frequency of iso lation from soil of four common moulds Rhizopus stolonifer, Monilia si tophila, Aspergillus niger and Penicillium sp., on malt extract agar ( MEA) and gelled gari (carbohydrate gel). Growth of the moulds on slide microcultures of potato dextrose agar (PDA) and gari showed typical d iagnostic features of the organisms, which were often clearer on gari. It is concluded that gari, which is much cheaper and far more readily available in Nigeria than MEA or PDA, is an effective alternative to the two standard mycological media.